Getting to know Spiderboy
by moonstone6793
Summary: [COMPLETE!] Ten minutes. Ten minutes was all it took. She found his backpack in the alley and left before he got there. Now, before Peter knows it, Ned thinks he has a secret girlfriend and Spiderman has to be her kibble runner. (PeterxOC) (Cover from rahaf-wabas on Tumblr)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Aaaaand another plot bunny starts hopping. So, a Marvel story this time. Anyway, this is going to be one of my short stories just to get my need to write a Spiderman Homecoming story out of the way. Enjoy!~**

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I think I need to only put this once on the first chapter, so here it goes. I do not own Spiderman Homecoming, Avengers, or any other Marvel character. I only own my OCs and the plot of this story... well, majority of it until the plot for Spiderman Homecoming starts._

* * *

 ** _Note: This story starts a few months before the events of Captain America: Civil War, before Tony takes Peter to Germany to help take down Steve._**

* * *

 _Hey mom._

 _I finally unpacked the last box! So I guess I'm officially moved in. The new place is nice, just like your friend described. It's a little small, but more cozy than anything. I really like it. It's really different from the city. A good kind of different though. I'm looking forward to running at a more normal pace._

 _I got a part time job at that café I was telling you about. I'm trying to see where I can get a second job to fill in the gaps._

 _Glad to hear things are going well over there. I was kinda worried. It must be hard without aunt Annie though. Weird that the new guy is taking so much responsibility, but I guess he proved he can handle things. He seems like he has a lot of potential. I guess I understand why you need to stay there a bit longer to keep an eye on him and help coach the others._

 _Anyway, it's almost time for my shift, so gotta go. Best of luck to you and everyone there._

 _Love yah~_

Nadia clicked "send" before shutting down her laptop. She pulled her dark hair up into a quick ponytail and slung on her bag while she walked to the door. Locking the door, she twirled her keys before shoving them in her bag and jogging to the other end of the hall. She hopped down the stairs two at a time and set a brisk pace to her walk.

The young woman breathed in deeply as she walked through her neighborhood. Soon, she was passing a few familiar stores and small businesses. A bell gave a cheery jingle as she opened the door to the coffee shop she worked at.

"Good morning, Hannah."

"Morning, dear." An older woman, the owner, greeted from behind the counter. "You're twenty minutes early again."

Huh…

Nadia shrugged, walking around the dining area, starting to set up the chairs.

"It's a step up from the half hour early and waiting for you to arrive and unlock the door."

Hannah gave a light chuckle. "You know you don't need to be so early, though it is nice."

"It's okay. I think I'm still used to all the rushing around I did back home." Nadia lived most of her life in a fast paced city. Here in Queens though, everything felt closer... and calmer. She didn't have to deal with hellish traffic or morning rush of people on their way to work.

She'd have to learn to slow down just a little more.

* * *

Another bell chimed as she left another shop. A bookstore to be exact. When her shift had ended at three, she'd gone around to explore more of her neighborhood. She got a little carried away browsing through the titles. Especially when more than half the store was filled with used volumes.

Nadia always thought used books were more interesting than brand new ones. Some had various marks left from their previous owners. Notes and highlights, dedications, and dog eared pages. Every once in a while, there would be a piece of paper or two stuck between the pages. Most were older and weren't in circulation anymore, which only added to their value even if they were sold at a cheap price.

The dark haired girl smiled, she would definitely go by there again so she could actually buy something-

A heavy thump and a huff pulled Nadia from her thoughts, bringing her attention to a familiar young boy who was tugging at two black garbage bags.

"Hey there, Sora." The ten-year-old looked up, grinning when he saw Nadia. The boy's name was really Shaun, she just called him "Sora" because of the game he was addicted to. "Hi, Dia!"

She'd taken a few babysitting jobs when she first arrived in Queens. Shaun was one of the kids she looked after.

"Isn't it your brother's chore to take out the trash?" She walked to him and tried lifting one bag. It was a bit heavy. Definitely a little too big for Shaun to carry on his own.

The boy huffed again, pouting. "He hid my Nintendo again. He said he'd give it back if I took out the trash this time."

Nadia frowned. That wasn't nice.

"I'm at a good part of the game too." Shaun scuffed his shoe on the ground.

The young woman let a gentle smile onto her features before once again grabbing a hold of one bag. "Why don't I take one, and you grab the other. That way, you can get back to your game faster."

"Okay!" The kid grinned and took hold of the smaller bag.

They both carried the bags to the dumpster in the back alley. The boy thanked her, and she told him to tell his parents what his brother had done.

Shaun nodded and scampered back out the alley quickly so he could get his handheld back.

Nadia sighed and dusted off her hands on her pants. That boy never listened to her, he was too nice to tell on his brother.

She was about to walk out of the alley when she noticed her shoelaces were untied. Kneeling down to redo them she spotted something by a corner beside the dumpster.

"A backpack?"

She picked it up by the strap and looked it over. It was dark blue, didn't seem very old, and it was relatively clean. Who would throw out a good bag?

But then… it had some weight to it.

Huh…

Nadia hesitated for a moment before she opened it up. There were a few notebooks, a pen, some spare change, and a few pieces of paper.

This wasn't thrown out. Someone owned this.

No. Someone lost this.

Maybe some kid got bullied and the bullies dumped his backpack here.

She slung the strap on her shoulder. She'd check out the stuff more when she got home.

Maybe she'd find an ID or something in one of the pockets. It was starting to get dark, so it wasn't logical to leave the bag and hope whoever owned it found it here. Someone else might take it.

Nadia thought about what she was having for dinner that night. There was still some pasta left over from the day before. That would have to do.

* * *

 _**Ten minutes later**_

Peter landed nimbly in the alley where he'd left his bag. He let out a breath as he took off his goggles and mask.

Man. The fabric really made for stuffy breathing after a few hours using it-

Oh no…

He looked down to the empty corner of the alley and groaned.

His backpack was gone.

May would ask him how he lost another backpack after just three weeks. He really needed to find somewhere to leave his stuff when he went on patrol.

On the upside, at least he didn't leave any of his Spiderman stuff in there.

* * *

"New backpack, Peter?" Ned said as said boy put some of his things in his locker. "That's like, the second one this month."

Peter sighed. "Yeah… Uhmmm… A dog chased after me and kinda ripped it."

"Oh! But you're okay right?" Peter's best friend asked, genuinely concerned. "You didn't get bitten did you? I heard that you get five shots just in case of rabies. Was the dog foaming at the mouth?"

"No, Ned." Peter chuckled. His friend could get a little easily agitated or overly enthusiastic when it came to asking questions.

"Oh. Okay. Good then." The two walked side by side to their classroom. "You've been a little distracted lately. Maybe that's why the dog got you…." Ned mused.

"Enough about the dog, Ned. Let's just get to class." Peter sighed. He didn't like how he had to keep lying to his friend about certain things.

But his powers….

Being Spiderman…

Knowing Ned, telling him wasn't really the best idea.

Besides, he was still getting used to his powers himself.

* * *

Nadia knew just how difficult and irritating it could be to lose your notebooks, especially when you were a student. She riffled through the backpack she found to see if there was something with a name.

"Peter Parker…" She mumbled, finding a slightly crumpled quiz paper. Why did that name seem familiar?

Sitting on a stool on her kitchen island, she lazily poked at the bowl of noodles beside the few papers she'd pulled out.

"Wow…" A breath of admiration escaped her as she found two more quizzes. Math and chemistry. He got A's on all of them. "You are one smart cookie."

She pulled out a notebook. Maybe there was some hint of which school he went to. She didn't want to go through the phonebook to ring up every Parker listed there. Flipping through the pages to find a doodle of a school mascot or a randomly scribbled school name or event, she twirled her fork through the pasta she had been eating.

 _Decathlon tm meeting – Friday_

 _Band practice moved to Tuesdays_

So part of a decathlon team and a band… Group of friends or school band?

There probably weren't many of the schools here in Queens that had a decathlon team, right? Academic or athletic though… Ugh…

There had to be something else…

Nadia had just been about to stick the noodles in her mouth when she reached a few pages near the back.

Her fork dropped from limp fingers right onto the paper with a splat.

"Crap!" She quickly tipped the notebook up to get rid of the pasta. There was now a reddish orange stain on the page. She rushed to grab a napkin to clean up the mess before the sauce seeped to the other pages.

Underneath the blotch of pasta sauce were a few calculations, notes and sketches. The top of the page read-

 _Web fluid 1.2_

* * *

 ** _A/N: Comments? Thoughts? I'd like to know what you guys are thinking, and if there are people who want to know what happens next in this story. I'll probably be updating every other day or so since the chapters of this story will be much shorter than what I usually post._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed and added this story to their alerts. Again, enjoy this chapter.**_

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 _Edit: There was just a problem with the line breaks to separate the scenes. Fixed it._

* * *

 _**A few days later…**_

Nadia still couldn't believe that she'd found the actual spider boy's bag. Maybe her family really was a magnet for the out of the ordinary.

The masked vigilante had been spotted more and more throughout Queens. She'd never seen him personally, but the internet was full of blurred pictures and a few videos. She'd never expected him to be so _young_ either.

Thank God for Facebook. Why she hadn't thought of it before she made several calls to different Parkers in the phonebook, asking if they had a young relative named Peter or if they knew someone with that name, was _embarrassing_ as hell.

When she'd found who she knew had to be the right Peter Parker less than two minutes from inputting his name on the search bar, she nearly banged her head on the counter.

There were a few group pictures with him in a school band and some candid shots of him with who she assumed was his friend with an academic decathlon banner in the background.

From another shot, she made out the name of his school.

 _Midtown School of Science and Technology_

Ugh… she felt like a stalker.

Either she could try her luck spotting him at his school…

Or scroll through more of the pictures and maybe…

 _Bingo!_

She found a selfie of Peter with a woman wearing glasses who looked to be in her thirties. Nadia could make out a family resemblance. The picture was tagged too.

 _with May Parker_

Lucky…

* * *

"May? I'm home." Peter shut the apartment door behind him and slumped onto the couch. "Sorry I'm late." He'd spent a bit longer on patrol today.

"Peter?" His aunt called. "Look who found your backpack."

Peter immediately straightened and looked to where May was seated in the dining room, a dark haired young woman he didn't recognize seated next to her. She looked like she was in her late teens or so.

The lady gave a slightly awkward wave and a small smile.

Peter returned the gesture with an even more awkward half smile. His wave ended with him pulling a hand through his hair.

"Th-Thanks… uh…" He trailed off when he realized the young woman didn't introduce herself.

"Nadia." She said, giving him an apologetic look before turning to his aunt. "Uh… Ms. Parker, I-"

"Just May, please." Said woman chirped cheerily.

"May… I just wanted to drop off Peter's bag. I'm sure he has a lot of homework and stuff to do." She got up from her seat to leave.

"Oh, sweetie. Please stay for dinner. It's the least we could do." May got up as well, remembering the rotisserie chicken she had in the oven. The timer on the appliance rang and called the older woman away before Nadia could protest.

"Well… okay…" The dark haired lady said to no one in particular as Peter decided to approach the table. May would give him a lecture if he just went to his room to avoid interaction with the stranger.

"So… uh, th-thanks again, Nadia." He stuttered out slightly. "B-Better dinner now, I think. Other-Otherwise May might insist on coffee or something another time." Peter chuckled a bit. He knew just how his aunt could be at times.

"I'll take your word for it." The lady smiled back, this time more relaxed.

"So how did you figure out I owned the backpack? and..." A sudden realization hit him and his eyes widened slightly. "How did you know I _live_ here?" He said slowly, body tensing slightly even when he couldn't sense any ill intent from the lady in front of him. Instead of acting guilty or like she got caught, her cheeks heated and she looked slightly away, letting out a slightly nervous chuckle.

"I found a few papers in your bag with your name on it. Then tried looking you up on Facebook…." Peter could sense that there was more to it than that, but he didn't push. "There were a few pictures of you at Midtown, and I found a few tagged with your aunt's name. Then it was easy just looking up May Parker in the phonebook." Nadia scrubbed a hand down her face in embarrassment. "God, I'm sorry. I still feel guilty for looking you up like some kind of stalker."

"N-no need to apologize. I guess I understand how that would have worked." Peter relaxed, shrugging. He knew how easy it could be to find someone with all the social media. The lady didn't look like she was hiding anything. As far as he could tell, she was sincere.

* * *

Dinner would have been a little awkward with a stranger at the table, but May's insistent questions and push for conversation made things a bit easier.

Peter found out that Nadia just moved to Queens and worked part time at a café a few blocks from the deli store he frequented.

Nadia learned what instrument Peter played in his school band and that he had a best friend named Ned.

The two laughed out loud when they both shot Star Wars references at each other.

May was ecstatic that Peter seemed to have made a new friend. She knew her nephew wasn't a loner, he did have Ned, but it would be nice to have someone else to help keep an eye on Peter.

The dark haired woman left the apartment with May promising that she and Peter would visit her café some time and that the teen would show Nadia some of the sights in Queens when he was free.

Nadia shot the boy a "Don't worry about it" look when May wasn't looking.

Peter was honestly relieved. Nadia was nice, but he didn't really know her. Though, when he thought about it while he emptied his newly returned backpack in his room, showing her around wouldn't really be a bad thing. It was awesome that she liked Star Wars too.

He found the quizzes that she had mentioned.

Yup.

They did have his name scrawled on the upper left hand sides.

He let out a breath when his black notebook was one of the things that fell out of the bag. He tensed a bit when he realized it was the one he wrote his web fluid formula ideas in.

"At least all she went through were the papers." Maybe he could use his chemistry class to try mixing a new formula-

Peter gaped at the sauce stain on the middle of the page. A note was stuck on the bottom.

 _Sorry about the mess.  
Next time you need a place to leave your bag,  
I can take care of it for you. The fire escape at  
my building faces the alley._

 _I'll put my spider plant out so it's easier to spot.  
(Not me trying to be funny. I actually already  
had that plant before I found your bag. It was a  
housewarming gift.)_

There was an address scribbled at the bottom of the note, along with an apartment number.

* * *

"Sir, there has been some suspicious activity that might suggest someone is searching for young Mr. Parker."

Tony Stark frowned. "Already?" He'd recently connected the dots regarding the teenager being the new masked vigilante that was swinging around New York. From what he'd seen, the boy had a lot of potential. "Bring up the data, Friday."

Searches by a Nadia Capelli for Peter Parker on Facebook. Not really anything alarming. But what did a woman in her twenties want from a kid like Peter?

What really did raise a red flag were the calls this Nadia made before the search. She'd managed to call up quite a few "Parkers" in the phonebook before resorting to social media. A call to May Parker was then registered a few minutes after the search.

So she was _specifically_ looking for Peter. Even more concerning was that she apparently just moved to Queens just over a week before she started searching.

What made Tony decide to keep tabs on Nadia Capelli was the fact that records of her were a quite a bit lacking for someone her age. He couldn't let a possible threat get to Peter Parker before the man could decide whether or not he was going to take the boy under his wing.

* * *

Nadia wasn't really surprised when a red and blue costumed figure landed on her fire escape the next night.

She disregarded his agitated posture, sliding open the window and sticking her head out.

"Spiderboy! Looks like you have your bag with you this time." She grinned. "I've got brownies." She slipped back inside after that simple statement.

Peter took a few deep breaths to control his anxiety before he ducked through the window. He ignored the rest of the apartment and went straight to the kitchen. Nadia was slicing said pastries into squares.

"You said you only-"

"You sound a little muffled, Peter." She replied offhandedly while placing half the brownies on a plate and the other half in a paper bag.

The boy put his laced fingers behind his neck, "Oh man…." His fear was confirmed. Someone knew he was Spiderman. It was a split second decision, but he pulled off his mask and goggles.

"You said you only looked through my quiz papers!" Peter's voice was high pitched and cracked at the end.

"I said I saw your name on some of them. I just didn't mention that I looked through your notebook to find a few more hints to your school and such." She clarified simply, moving a bit closer to the distraught teenager.

"B-but-!" Nadia cut the boy off, raising a hand, before he could work himself well into a panic. "Finding that page was _pure_ coincidence. I swear, _I won't tell anybody_."

Peter's eyes were wide, and he was wringing his hands. "P-please-"

"I won't." She said softly. "I'm sure not even your aunt knows…"

The boy shook his head in response.

"Which is why I didn't say anything about the notebook. I didn't want you to freak out in front of your aunt. That would have been hard to play off." Nadia chuckled.

Peter forced out a small laugh. The dark haired young woman noticed the still present tension in his shoulders.

"Peter, I know what it's like to have to keep a secret." She assured. He looked doubtful. A sigh escaped her lips.

Before Peter could say anything else, Nadia mumbled something under her breath.

The bag of brownies on the kitchen island glowed slightly before gently floating over to her outstretched hand. The light faded when she clutched the top of the paper in her fingers.

"There's no way I'm giving you the recipe for these brownies." She said with a smile before placing the bag in Peter's hands.

"But if you or your aunt want more, just say so." She pat Peter's shoulder, leading him back to the window.

The wide eyed teen turned to her. "You- You can-"

Nadia put a finger to her lips and winked.

"Put your mask on, Spiderboy. And you better put those in your bag before you swing off." The young woman gestured to the paper bag.

Peter fumbled for a moment and did as she said, adjusting the goggles over his eyes. He was out on the fire escape before he paused to look at Nadia again. "Thank you."

"If you need anything, Spiderboy." She smiled before waving her hand in a shooing motion.

Peter smiled back under his mask. "It's Spiderman." He said before turning and shooting a web to swing away.

"Boy!" Nadia hollered after him just before he disappeared around another building.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Review and let me know what you guys are thinking. This story will be mostly chapters of what Nadia and Peter get up to and will just brush over the events of Civil War. It'll probably end a chapter or two after Homecoming._**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Not much to say... sad that no one reviewed the last chapter though. Anyway... Enjoy!~**_

* * *

"Nadia?" Peter squinted through a café's front window at the lady at the counter.

"Who?" Ned stood beside his friend and followed his line of sight. He quickly spotted two ladies chatting at the counter. "The red headed one or the one with dark hair?" The other employees in the small café were bustling around clearing tables.

"Dark hair." Peter answered absently. He stepped back to look at the name of the café.

"Who's she?" His friend asked, curious. He watched as the young woman inside smiled and handed a paper cup to her customer.

"Uh, j-just a friend, I guess."

Before Peter could elaborate, a thought popped into the bigger boy's head, making his eyes widen. "Peter!" Ned sounded shocked. "I knew you were okay with seniors like Liz, but I didn't know you liked girls _that_ much older than us!"

"Wh-What?..." It took a moment for the other teenager to process his friend's statement. " _N-No_! No no no! Ned!" Peter waved his arms wildly.

"Oh! I think she's waving at us. She's pretty, Peter." Ned grinned and waved a bit awkwardly.

"Wh-What?!" The other boy repeated, turning sharply and was met with said dark haired young woman's wide smile right on the other side of the glass window. Looks like she was done talking to the customer. Nadia gestured for them to come in.

"Ooooh…." Ned said excitedly, curious about this new girl that he believed caught his friend's interest. He quickly moved to the café's entrance.

"N-Ned! _What're you doing_?!" Peter hissed, quickly going to his friend's side and elbowed him slightly.

"I have to say, I wish you told me Peter. Best friends don't keep secrets like this from each other- Hi!"

Peter jumped when he realized that they were now face to face with the young woman that his best friend was assuming he had a crush on or something…. A blush started creeping up his neck at the thought.

"H-Hey, Na-Nadia…" He managed to stutter out.

Said woman gestured to a free table beside the window. The two teens sat down, Peter slumping a bit.

"What is it, Peter? Is something wrong?" She asked, somewhat concerned the boy had gone to her this time. He just shook his head frantically, not exactly sure what to say.

"So, Nadia..." Ned still had a bit of a silly grin on his face.

"Yup, that's me. And I'm guessing you must be Peter's best friend Ned." She replied.

The boy was surprised. "Does Peter talk a lot about me?" His grin widened and his back straightened in pride. "How'd you meet him?"

"Ned. _Ned_ …." Peter mumbled, scrubbing a hand on his face. He'd been trying to get his best friend's attention, but it was futile.

"He's told me some of the shenanigans you two get into together, but it was May that actually mentioned you first." Nadia chuckled, remembering one of the other woman's stories.

Ned looked a bit confused. "May?"

Nadia seemed to have connected the dots and guessed at what Ned had been thinking. She paused, before her face scrunched up and she laughed. She quickly put her hand on her mouth after a moment, her shoulders shaking violently. It took a few moments for her to calm down, a little moisture glistened at the corners of her eyes. " _Oh my God_ …. Sorry. Sorry, Peter." She apologized when she noticed the boy turning beet red.

"Ned…" Nadia stifled her laughter, breathed in deeply and did her best to sound serious. "Peter may be cute as a button, and maybe I usually go for younger guys, but eight years younger is pushing it a bit."

If it was possible, Peter turned even redder. "Nadia!" He groaned.

"Oh…" Ned said simply. He did the math. She was twenty-three!? Really? She looked more eighteen or nineteen.

"I was trying to tell you, dude. She's the one who returned my backpack." Peter flicked a gaze at his best friend from his slumped position.

"You mean the one that got chewed up by a dog?" The boy clarified, remembering what his friend had told him a week ago at school.

Peter straightened a bit nervously in his seat. "Y-Yeah…. That one."

Nadia took the hint. "Yeah… My dog, my bad. Sorry about Stevie."

"What breed is he? Did he have his rabies shots?" Ned leaned forward as he shot his questions one after the other.

Peter almost faceplanted on the table. It was a good thing that Ned could sometimes be easily sidetracked. He owed Nadia one for answering his friend's endless questions.

* * *

 ** _:: I don't think she's a criminal, Stark. From what I heard, she just returned a lost backpack to some kid. ::_**

"Okay, Natasha. Just checking." Tony rubbed his chin.

 ** _:: Why exactly is she suspicious again?-::_**

The man ignored the question and asked his own. "Were you able to get a photo of her? Please and thank you." He chirped before ending the call. It took a moment, but his phone buzzed. There were a few photos of the young woman he was keeping tabs on working at a café. She was of average height, but she was lithe. Nadia had black hair that was pulled into a ponytail, pale skin, and hazel eyes. One photo had her at the same table as the boy he was keeping tabs on.

Ah… So that was why she had searched for Peter. The teen apparently lost his backpack.

Maybe he was being a bit paranoid, but in the superhero business, you could never be too sure.

* * *

Natasha leaned against the side of a building a few blocks away from the café. Tony had asked her to tail a girl who worked there for a while and see if she was doing anything suspicious. The spy had dropped by the dark haired girl's apartment and found nothing of note. She followed her to work and watched for a few hours, then decided to go in as a customer and try to talk to her.

The girl was sweet. She smiled a lot. From what the redhead could tell of the girl's personality and her quirks, she was just a normal civilian. Natasha wondered what Nadia Capelli had done to get on Tony's radar to warrant a surveillance job from the Black Widow.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle that stopped in the street in front of her. "Took you long enough, Rogers."

"I don't do speeding unless I really need to, Nat." He tossed her a helmet. "Find out anything about Stark's pet project?" Steve asked as the spy walked to the bike, situating herself behind him.

"Nope. Just that the mark has a dog named Stevie." Natasha chuckled while the blond snorted.

"Tony doesn't need to know that." The man cringed, before he sighed. "He's just lucky we're on standby while waiting for a lead on Rumlow. I hope one comes soon, who knows what the guy will try next just because he's bored of waiting."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Just drop your thoughts in a review. If there's anything you want to see in this fic, or if you have any suggestions, I'd like to know. Till next time~_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Thanks to ActionLover203 for reviewing. Late thanks to Lainiebot and my other Guest reviewer too. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Hope you like this chapter too. :)**_

* * *

"You owe me a dog."

"Wh-What?"

Peter looked up from where he was sitting on Nadia's couch, drinking a glass of water. He'd just finished his patrol for the day and was about to head on home after retrieving his bag when the dark haired woman called him into her apartment.

"To back up your story." Nadia said simply, looking up from her laptop.

"B-but it was just a story. It's not like Ned is ever going to find out you don't actually have a dog."

The young woman looked blandly at the teen across from her. "Really, Peter? Knowing Ned, don't you think he'll ask about it sometime soon? You come here to my apartment frequently enough, I'll have to invite him here too or he's just gonna ask on his own. What am I going to say when he looks for Stevie the dog?"

Peter opened his mouth to reason out, but snapped it shut after a moment of thought. He could totally imagine Ned doing that.

Seeing the boy's hesitant acceptance, Nadia chuckled.

"Now are you free this Saturday? I was planning to get a pet sometime anyway, even when I was aiming for a cat. We need to go look for the right dog to be my Stevie, and I don't know where the shelters are near here."

* * *

"Why'd we have to go all the way to the Bronx again? We have shelters in Queens." Peter asked, looking at the door a little further down the hall.

"Don't complain. A shelter further from home is better because it's less likely Ned will find out. Not that he'll really dig, but you can never be too sure." Nadia stood and approached the counter when the volunteer behind it finally finished answering a phone call. "And because I looked up different shelters and the dogs they had up for adoption. There were only two that really matched my description that were around New York. That first one didn't like me." Nadia nodded and smiled at the young man who let them sign their names in a logbook.

"Why did Ned have to ask so many questions? And why'd you have to pick a unique color like grey? You could've said brown or black." The boy groaned, following Nadia as the volunteer escorted them to the back to look at the dogs they had up for adoption. The young woman could only snicker at that.

"I wasn't really thinking about how hard it would be to find a grey retriever, Peter. I was just answering Ned's questions."

There were a lot of dogs, and practically all of them reacted when Nadia stepped through the door. Some howled, others growled, others whined, a few just looked warily at her with their ears pressed to their skulls. This happened at the first shelter too. Hopefully the Labrador retriever mix she'd seen on the shelter's site didn't react too badly to her. They soon reached the cage of said dog who was stretched out in a corner.

Nadia crouched down and whistled softly. "Hey there, boy." The dog looked at her, before his ears perked up.

"Hey, Peter!" She grinned. "I think-" She stopped when the canine's ears suddenly shifted down and he started growling and baring his teeth, scooching away from the human in front of him. Nadia sighed. It wasn't uncommon for dogs not to like her. Something about magic users set them off. "It's no use, Peter. I guess we'll just have to go with the other story." Tell Ned that Peter'd just forgotten his bag in the café she worked at and he'd been somewhat embarrassed to tell his friend that. Well, that Nadia had been embarrassed that she'd practically stalked Peter on Facebook to find a way to return his backpack. The things she did for the boy who was fast turning into a little brother of sorts for her….

"Nadia? How 'bout this one?" Nadia backed out of the enclosure she was standing in to look where her companion was pointing. "He isn't barking or growling like the others."

The young woman moved to stand beside Peter as he opened the door to the enclosure and crouched down to take a closer look at the canine. "Hi…" He said softly. The dog stepped forward hesitantly, pausing when he saw the another human stand behind the one calling him. His ears bent back a little but he looked to Peter, then to Nadia, tilting his head. "My friend here is looking for a nice dog. Don't worry if she smells funny to you. She's a good- a good person, really."

"Hey! Magic doesn't give off a smell… I think…" Nadia argued weakly.

The dog looked to be at least a year or so old. He leant into Peter's touch, wagging his tail when the boy scratched his chin.

"He's mostly grey too." Peter gestured at the canine's fur. He was right. The dog was mostly grey, his coat was dotted with black splotches and a little brown around his face and legs. His neck and underside were white though. But yeah… mostly grey. The boy encouraged Nadia to try petting the dog. Slowly, the young woman bent down.

"Hey there, baby." She said as softly and gently as possible. The canine seemed wary of her still, but he growled only in his throat and didn't bare his teeth. He didn't snarl or bark. Those had to be good signs. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." She cooed, stretching her hand out slowly. Soon her fingers brushed the fur between his ears. The dog was still growling, but it slowly decreased in volume and soon stopped completely as Nadia scratched his head and behind his ears. "Do you want to come home with me?" When he leaned forward when Nadia experimentally withdrew her hand, Peter smiled and looked somewhat triumphant.

"Well… Looks like you found your Stevie."

"Yeah…" The young woman sounded a bit out of it as she continued to pet her soon to be new dog. It took a moment before she snapped back to reality though. She grinned a little mischievously. "And don't think this is it. Guess who's going to be my kibble runner?"

Peter groaned again, looking upward at the ceiling as he ran a hand through his hair. "Can't you use your magic or something?"

"I live on the sixth floor of my building and the elevator is busted." Nadia stated matter-of-factly, smiling. "I can't exactly keep people from seeing the light show my magic makes when I use it."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Just drop your thoughts in a review. Comments, suggestions, or just flames... If there's anything you want to see in this fic, or if you have any suggestions, I'd like to know. Till next time~_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: No reviews... sad. Anyway, I'm doing this mostly to get the Spiderman bug out of my system and satisfy the fangirl in me that just wants to take care of Peter 'cuz he's sooooo adorable. Enjoy~**_

* * *

It had been more than a month. Peter had left his bag on Nadia's fire escape every time he went on patrol. Sometimes, Nadia had been out. The other times, she'd checked on him just before he left after retrieving it. All times, there was always a bottle of water right on her windowsill or a note stuck on the glass saying that she'd left him something in the fridge to enjoy or take home. In exchange Peter would check on Stevie for Nadia if she was still out. He did also end up buying kibble for the canine twice.

May couldn't be more thrilled that Nadia did help her keep track of Peter, more than his aunt anticipated and hoped for. All she knew was that the young woman who had found and returned Peter's bag was a reliable source of information when her nephew was running a bit late.

Apparently the café Nadia worked at was actually quite close to Peter's route to the train station. The young woman would sometimes offer to treat her nephew and his best friend to something from the café. Other times, she would ask him to help her run some errands.

Well… That's what May knew…

In addition to those occasions, once in a while Peter would just stay an extra hour at Nadia's apartment to work on his web shooters or his costume without having to worry about May unexpectedly knocking on his door. He would needle Nadia into showing him a few more tricks or answering some of his questions. He was glad to know someone else who had their own powers, and how they dealt with it. Unfortunately, Peter was a bit disappointed that Nadia didn't use her talents more "actively".

"Why not?- Ow!"

"I only do small things with my magic, Peter. I'll help someone out when I can, but… I'm not a hero like you."

The boy looked at her hopefully. "B-But you can be. I mean… I've seen what you can do with your magic! You said you've had your powers since you were born. I've only had mine for- for like three- almost four months. Look- Look what I can do already! I-I'm sure just a little fine tuning can make your magic good for- good for offensive maneuvers." He explained excitedly.

Nadia shook her head. She sensed that Peter really wanted another hero he knew personally and could relate to and share the burden of being a vigilante with. The young woman sighed. She couldn't be that person for him.

She was currently wiping at the shallow cut on the teen's shoulder. Stevie was content to rest his head on the boy's lap and let him scratch his ears.

Some muggers with a crowbar had landed a few lucky hits on Peter. They'd messed with the trajectory of one of his swings and made him slam his face into the metal bars of a sign.

"Keep that ice pack on your cheek. And don't overdo it." Nadia tilted her head to indicate the canine that was enjoying the attention he was receiving. "Stevie's starting to get used to being pet a lot." She said firmly. The dog whined a bit and nudged Peter's now still hand with his nose. After a few fruitless attempts, Stevie used a paw to prod at Peter's forearm.

"Don't-" Nadia warned, but slumped slightly in defeat when Peter gave in and resumed scratching the dog under the chin.

"Wh-What? Look at those eyes." The teen chuckled. The young woman could only huff out a laugh in response. There were a few moments of silence before she spoke again.

"You know, when I said "anything" back then, I didn't really say I was a medic." Nadia said dryly but helped the boy duck into her apartment and sit on the couch when he knocked on her window earlier.

"May would freak if she saw this bruise. And doesn't magic usually mean healing powers too?"

Peter's shoulders sagged when the dark haired woman had initially returned with a first aid kit and some ice.

"So… no voodoo then?" He grinned, grimacing when the action stretched something painfully. "How am I going to explain this to May?" He poked at the dark purple mark on his face.

Nadia finished dabbing at Peter's cut with some disinfectant before examining his facial injury. She sighed again. He was right, it was too bad to be caused by an accident in school.

"Voodoo is more related to making objects used to either protect yourself or harm others." She quoted. "So no. Now… Stevie, down." She pointed to the carpet. The dog just stared at her and at the spot on the floor. Then he just closed his eyes and ignored her.

Nadia clucked her tongue. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She said, referring to the canine on the couch.

"Now, keep still." She said to Peter this time, before closing her eyes. She muttered something in some foreign language, making a gesture with her fingers. Nadia's hand glowed, making the dog dozing on the boy's lap immediately perk up and jump off the couch. Stevie briskly padded to the other end of the living room, warily eyeing the strange glow on his mistress's hand.

"He still doesn't like being around magic." Peter stated plainly, looking at the canine hiding by the side of the armchair.

Nadia's touch was cool when she covered his bruise. The glow lasted for a few seconds before fading.

"No. He doesn't like it when I use it. At least he's okay with being around me." The dog looked more relaxed now, but decided to stay in his current position and laze there. "Your cheek is mostly healed, but still a bit red, Peter." Nadia hummed while packing up her first aid kit.

"What?! R-Really?" He dashed to the mirror on the living room wall. Seeing the leftover mark, he gaped. "Was it really so bad you couldn't heal it?"

"Nope. I just didn't heal it completely. Besides, with the speed of your healing, it will look perfectly fine by tomorrow."

"Wh-Why not completely heal it now?" The teen looked confused.

"Peter, if I heal up your injuries completely, you'll start relying on me. Not that I mind helping you out, or playing a support character for Spiderman. But you might get the idea that I can patch up anything. It might make you careless. I don't want to do that. I'll just heal you enough so you don't get any unwanted attention for injuries that a regular teen like yourself shouldn't really get. You still have to do your part staying safe, Peter." Nadia lectured.

"I'm not careless…" The boy huffed, but saw the point she was trying to make.

"No, at least you don't mean to be." The young woman sighed. "Just always be careful, Peter."

* * *

 **::She knows about the Spider, Stark::** Natasha's voice was low.

"What?!" Tony dropped the screwdriver he was using. No… This could be very dangerous. "Is she a threat, Widow?" The genius' voice was serious.

 **::No. She's actually watching the kid for you.::**

Tony wondered why Natasha's voice stayed monotonous. "There's something else, isn't there?"

There was a pause before the spy answered. **::Stark… She can still be a threat. The girl has powers too.::**

The man scrubbed a hand over his face. "What kind of powers?" He hadn't found any videos or anything like that of a female vigilante or criminal with powers or matching Nadia's physical traits. S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have records on her either. Nadia Capelli was someone who was not liberal with her talents.

 **::I'm not sure, Tony. They both called it " _magic_ ", but I don't know the extent of what she can do. I've only seen her use it to heal a bruise on the kid's face. The best way I can describe it is that it looks similar to Wanda's powers when she uses it.::**

Tony groaned mentally. The young woman was an unknown variable. She could be biding her time to gain the kid's trust.

There was something else that unnerved the playboy. When he looked closely, _really_ closely, Nadia Capelli looked familiar.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Just drop your thoughts in a review. Comments, suggestions, or just flames... If there's anything you want to see in this fic, or if you have any suggestions, I'd like to know. Till next time~_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Thank you to Random Reader for reviewing. I'm glad you like the story. :) Surprisingly running a bit low on steam for chapters for this story. I do have a bit of an idea how this story is going to end, but I just need a better idea of how exactly I'm going to get there. If you have any suggestions for what you want to see in this story, I'm open to suggestions. Anyway... I won't delay more. Enjoy!~**_

* * *

"Spiderboy… How long do your webs stay like this?"

Nadia poked at the webbing that had made a large splotch on half her face, most of her arms, and her café uniform.

"Queens isn't starting to look like a spider's nest with the months you've spent swinging around and catching bad guys, so I know that it dissolves or something."

"Uhmmm…" The teen said nervously. "Four-Four to five hours." He gulped when he dug through his backpack and realized that for some reason, he didn't have any with him.

The young woman looked around at her living room. Strands of the webbing hung from the ceiling and streaked the walls.

Peter had been tinkering with his web shooters, and apparently something went wrong. The things had short circuited and sort of… well… exploded. Fortunately, Stevie was in the kitchen when it happened, so he was safe and not stuck to the floor or something.

Nadia stared at the boy's sheepish look. He himself had webbing all over the front of his costume. Most of his face was covered with the stuff, much like hers. He had been close enough for the fluid to coat his hair.

"Well, you can't go home like that, and I can't go out with this." She gestured to the silvery pattern on her cheek and arms. She blew out a slow breath, and Peter gulped, thinking that this would be the time he'd see Nadia actually get mad. "Next time. I'm taking you to a safe space to work on those things."

"Oh-Okay…" Nadia was right, he couldn't go home until the webbing on his face and hair dissolved. His phone buzzed and he looked at the screen. It was a text from his best friend. "Awwww man…" The teen put his face in his hands. "I almost forgot! Ned is supposed to come over tonight."

"Huh… And I was going to suggest telling your aunt that this was a result of a chemistry class accident. That won't work now." She mused before walking into her room.

Peter groaned. What could he do? He looked pleadingly in the direction of her bedroom. "Don't you have a spell or something that could fix this?"

"Sorry, Peter. I might have a spell or two that might work, but I'm not risking it. I might melt your skin off along with the webbing." The young woman apologized, walking out with an oversized shirt and flannel pants in her hand, giving it to Peter. He cringed at her statement. "Here. Take off that webby costume. Do what you can to clean up in the bathroom. I'm going to call May."

"Wh-What? What'll you tell her?" He asked curiously.

"We're having a sleepover- Hi there, May!"

Peter gaped, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"Yeah, Peter's here... He was helping me fix up something he could take home, but I ah… I sort of had a bit of a kitchen fiasco with my dog." Stevie perked up from where he was sniffing a particularly large splotch of webbing on the wall. "Well, long story short, there was a huge mess and Peter offered to help me clean up... It might take a while still. My mom would be so disappointed with me if I let him go home so late looking like he's been in an epic food fight…. Yeah… At least it's a Friday night… Yes, you have my address?... That sounds good. Thanks so much, May." Nadia turned to see Peter still standing in the same spot.

"What… What did she say?"

"That you could stay over and that she'd drop off a change of clothes for you in the morning." Nadia straightened when she remembered something. "You better contact Ned or something."

"Ned!" Peter parroted, before immediately pulling out his phone and dialing. It was only when his friend answered that he realized that he didn't know exactly what to say. "Hey-Hey Ned…"

 ** _:: Hey, Peter. So any suggestions for what Lego set we'll rebuild-::_**

"Sorry, sorry, Ned. Looks like I can't t-tonight… Uhhh…-" The teen was stuck, but Nadia cut in.

"He's helping me clean up my wrecked kitchen. Sorry I had to steal him."

 ** _::Is- Is that Nadia? Man… You said-::_**

" _N-Ned_!" Peter's voice went up an octave.

Nadia laughed. "Listen, Ned. To make up for broaching on your bro time with Peter, I owe you a batch of your favorite cookies."

Peter put his phone on loudspeaker.

 ** _:: You mean the fudge walnut ones?::_**

"Yup. If those are what you want. I can send them through Peter tomorrow. Actually, both of you can drop by tomorrow afternoon too, or on Sunday if that works better. There's a recipe I've been working on, and the more people I can get an opinion from, the better."

 ** _:: Awesome! Don't forget my cookies, Peter!::_**

The call ended, and Peter was in awe at how easily Nadia had handled the situation. "How? How'd you- How'd you know what to say?" He asked.

The young woman winked. "When you've been hiding the fact that you have powers for most of your life, you tend to get good at making excuses." She nudged the teenager toward the bathroom. "Now get cleaned up. Later we're going to check on my baking ingredients so I know what I need to get from the grocery tomorrow."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Just drop your thoughts in a review. Comments, suggestions, or just flames... Again, if there's anything you want to see in this fic, or if you have any suggestions, I'd like to know. If I don't get any more ideas, this story will quickly be going into the Homecoming movie which will last one or two chapters, then an epilogue or something afterwards. Till next time~_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Thanks again to everybody who took the time to send in a review- Guest, Secret Admirer (AJ), and dothdomarvelous. Here's another chapter for you guys. Enjoy~ :)**_

* * *

"Wow… This is so trippy." Peter looked around in awe.

He stood with Nadia on a rooftop. They were in Queens, and not really at the same time.

"Is this like a pocket dimension?" The teenager shot out a web so he could lower himself to the street below.

Some people were walking along the sidewalk. They would walk past him, some actually through him. They didn't react, but he would feel some of the weight of it, like being slightly pushed. He observed the glassy texture of the horizon and the fragmented appearance of some of the buildings.

Nadia followed, jumping from the roof. She seemed to be aiming for small platforms that lit up when she stepped on them. It was like she was hopping down invisible stairs three at a time.

"Pocket dimension?" Nadia huffed out a laugh. "Like the inside of the T.A.R.D.I.S.? I wish I could manipulate this place to that extent. I'd have a swimming pool and library all to myself." She turned to Peter when she landed next to him. He grinned at her, noting the Doctor Who reference. "You'll still have to watch out for cars and other people here. They won't bump into you, but you can bump in to them."

"They don't see us?" Peter waved his arms around and did a few flips. Everyone seemed oblivious to the red and blue costumed vigilante bouncing around the street, or the young woman who just jumped off a roof and used magical platforms to help her reach the ground.

"No. I told you. This is something like a parallel dimension. I used to test out new spells and work on my magic here all the time. Still do, really. You can test out your web formula here with actual buildings and not risk anybody seeing you or getting in the way. You can also practice your acrobatic maneuvers. All without that stuffy mask." Nadia smiled knowingly. Peter had sort of complained about that issue to her a few times. The boy lit up, handing the young woman the red mask and placing it in her outstretched hand, before putting his goggles on.

Peter was practically vibrating with excitement, wondering what he should do first. Experimentally, he aimed for a random building and shot a strand of webbing. It attached to the high wall and he tugged. It was stable.

"Just be sure not to get too far, Spiderboy. I have limits staying here. Two hours max, got it? Then we have to go back." Nadia warned him. The teen nodded quickly in response before he took off. It looked like Web fluid 2.0 was off to a good start. She chuckled when she saw him overshoot a few buildings and nearly miss others. The web slinging hero was just getting to know how strong or elastic his modified formula was.

"This is awesome!" Nadia could hear Peter cheer a little distance away, his voice clear without the fabric of his mask muffling him. She smiled and let out a chuckle. She knew how it felt to be able to let loose without having to worry about damaging anything or anyone with your powers. Somewhere you didn't need to hide your face or watch your back.

She followed behind Peter at a distance, having fun free running and using magic here and there to give her a boost when the boy got a bit too far.

* * *

 _Careless!_

Of course Peter would get carried away with the sudden freedom he had. He was a kid! She should have kept a closer watch on him.

She'd been careless and now she was paying for it. Like hell she would let Peter get hurt because of her mistake.

"Get away from it!" Nadia screamed.

She wasn't the only one that used this dimension for her own devices.

The teen obeyed and flipped a good distance away. "Whoah!" He yelped when the creature that had spotted him rammed into the wall he had been standing in front of.

It was as big as a pick-up truck, had thick scales covering its body, and huge antlers.

"What is it?!" Peter looked to his sister figure, wide eyed behind his goggles.

Bilgesnipe.

Someone had pushed it into this dimension to contain it. Nadia should not have been surprised. It wasn't uncommon for the New York Sanctum to attract threats every once in a while.

"You're really ugly, aren't you big guy?"

The thing shook its enormous head, grunting as it gained its bearings.

It was a loud and aggressive beast. It lumbered and charged, trying to bowl into Peter and me. It was somewhat slow and clumsy making it incredibly easy for Spiderboy to dodge its swipes and almost dance around it… Peter was starting to taunt it.

"Godzilla, isn't it too early to be wearing reindeer antlers? Where's the red nose?"

Not good at all.

One wrong move and those horns could skewer him. It wasn't a regular earth animal after all. Gods and Aesir hunted it for sport.

Nadia immediately whispered an incantation, forcefully swinging out an arm. Several blade like streaks of energy shot out from the motion, hitting the Bilgesnipe and pushing it away from Peter. She repeated the attack several times until it backed a good distance away. Before Spiderboy could leap after the beast, she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into an alley.

"Capelli!"

"Sorry, Peter. Time to go. Don't wait up." She quickly slipped off the boy's goggles and pulled the red mask over his head.

"But-But!" Before Peter could do anything, he was roughly shoved back a few steps and the roaring of the scaly creature was suddenly cut off.

Thoroughly confused, he grabbed his goggles from the ground, putting them back on over his mask just as he ran out of the alley. Someone walked right into him.

"Hey, man! Watch where you're going!" An angry pedestrian groused.

"Sorry! Sorry." Peter put his hands up in a placating motion. He shot out a web and made his escape before the red-faced guy could say anything else.

Spiderman landed on top of a billboard and looked around. Everything looked normal now. There was no sign of the dinosaur-moose thing. Nadia was nowhere to be seen either.

She must have still been in the other dimension.

Peter worried a bit. There was no way that thing could get her right? She could just climb up a building and leave. She should have followed right after him.

His phone buzzed. Immediately reading the text, he let out a relieved breath.

 _I'm fine. The Barney with horns was taken care of._

Peter closed his eyes as he tried to make sense of the few seconds before he was shoved back into the… real dimension. Man… that was lame. He needed to think of another name. The boy shook his head, focusing on his original train of thought.

If he remembered right, didn't someone call Nadia's name just before she sent him back?

* * *

Nadia turned back around just in time to see the Bilgesnipe charging at her.

She easily leapt up and used a hand to push her over the beast and out of the alley. She could have easily manipulated her surroundings to box it in, but she refrained. Once more she used platforms to boost her up to a nearby rooftop.

A lithe figure in loose grey robes landed a few feet from her.

"Capelli. I thought it was you." The other woman said before raising her eyebrow.

Nadia grinned. "Lyn! So you were finally assigned to watch the New York sanctum?"

The figure ignored the young woman for a moment, raising her hands to manipulate the space below to trap the Bilgesnipe between two buildings.

The figure had her black hair in a messy bun. The smiling girl was deflecting her silent question. "Who was with you? I didn't recognize them." She asked directly.

"Just a friend. They needed somewhere to practice their skills." Nadia shrugged. Honestly, she wasn't supposed to bring non magic-users here, but the parallel dimension was a large place. She always believed that it couldn't really be monitored strictly enough to screen who went in and out of it.

"No matter how skilled, whoever that was looked like a child. You know that the mirror dimension can be dangerous around the sanctums." Lyn lectured. "Bringing one so young here was reckless. Even if you are no longer a sorcerer of Kamar Taj, you are still bound by our rules so long as you use our magic." Her brown eyes narrowed.

Nadia believed it was best not to argue and just nodded. "I promise I'll be more careful next time."

The other woman still had doubts, and was about to question Nadia, but the Bilgesnipe roared in the alley.

"I need to take care of the beast. Think twice before you bring a child here, or I will have no choice but to ask Wong to take away your sling ring."

"Of course." Nadia gave a slight bow before stepping backwards and out of the mirror dimension.

* * *

Peter was restless and couldn't sleep. It was already past midnight and she didn't send him another text. Was Nadia in some kind of trouble?

His hand shot out to grab his phone when it lit up.

 _Go to sleep, Spiderboy. I said I'm alright. I just needed smooth some things out. I'm already back home._

He had to trust that… Nadia could take care of herself. Right?

Turning over in his bed, he pulled the sheets up to try and get more comfortable. He had a feeling he wouldn't be completely reassured until he saw her himself.

* * *

"Hey, Nadia! Are you okay?" Ned gushed out before Peter could ask. Before said young woman could even answer, he continued on. "Of course you're okay. You're here now."

Right after class, Peter had dragged Ned to the café. "Peter thinks he might have gotten you in some kind of trouble." The larger boy turned to his friend who was standing a little behind him with an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm absolutely fine, both of you." She looked at the two teens and put a hand on their shoulders, squeezing Peter's.

"What happened?"

Nadia raised a brow. She couldn't exactly talk openly right now, but she'd do her best to assuage any worries or doubts Spiderboy had.

"Well… Someone else came to make sure the little trouble maker Peter and I saw yesterday was sent home. I just got a slap on the wrist about possibly bringing a kid in dangerous territory."

"What?" Ned tilted his head in confusion and curiosity. "What kind of trouble maker?"

"Just a lumbering drunk in a fake crocodile skin jacket we ran into when I let Peter help me with some errands. Someone I'm acquainted with came and talked the guy into going home, but I got scolded for supposedly having a kid around in a possibly dangerous situation." Nadia replied easily, hoping Peter got the gist of it.

Peter let out a breath. So the creature was taken care of, just like his sister figure said. But then… someone she was "acquainted" with? Who did she mean? And… was she not supposed to bring other people in that pocket dimension? Nadia wouldn't take him there if she knew it was dangerous, right?

"Oh…" Ned nodded. "At least both of you are okay." He smiled widely and let out a snort. "What kind of drunk wears a crocodile skin jacket?"

"Don't ask me…" Peter managed a small chuckle. He was still relieved that Nadia hadn't been hurt by the thing. "He was drunk. So-so I don't think he was thin-thinking clearly."

The young woman spared the boy a soft smile, patting him on the head and giving his friend a light noogie.

"You two better get going. I have to get back to work."

"Huh? No cake today?" Ned asked with a grin.

"I'm feeling like a smoothie today, actually." Peter piled on.

Nadia glared playfully and lead the two teens out the door. "I can't always treat you guys! I have to save some money for myself too, you know!"

* * *

 ** _A/N: Reviews are always nice. Please send in your thoughts and suggestions if you have anything you want to see in this story. We have one more chapter before we reach the start of Homecoming. 'Til then~_**

 ** _As for those who are curious about Nadia's backstory, it will be covered somewhat vaguely in this story. If enough people want it, I might make a companion fic for this story, or another full story altogether. Tell me if you guys want that, or a chapter or two in this story that goes into Nadia's backstory. Thanks~ :)_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Thanks so much to ActionLover203 for reviewing. Here's another chapter for you guys. Enjoy~ :)**_

* * *

It was a Saturday when it happened. Nadia was visiting the old book store that she'd fallen in love with. She was flipping through the pages of an obscure leather bound book that she found interesting when there was a commotion outside, and people were staring at something.

She heard sirens in the distance and immediately stepped out of the shop after leaving her book on the counter. The bell giving a soft ring behind her. A few blocks away, she could see thick black smoke.

Nadia ran in the direction of the crisis. Was Peter near here? He didn't have class, but he could be patrolling anywhere around Queens. If he even _was_ patrolling. Teenagers needed time to spend with friends. He could be hanging out with Ned.

A fire truck was outside an eight story apartment, firemen working to quell the flames with a strong torrent of water. But… it looked like it wasn't enough. The flames were still burning strong and steady. Firemen were running out of the building, tenants in tow. Nadia noticed a teen frantically searching for someone.

"Todd!" He yelled, looking at the faces of the people gathered on the street. The boy ran to someone and asked in a panic. "Did you see Todd?" He coughed.

"Was he with you when you ran out?" The person questioned, leading the teen by the shoulders to an ambulance. He needed oxygen.

"No… He-he said he was going t-to the apartment down the hall-" The boy's sentence was interrupted by another round of coughs.

Nadia's eyes flicked around, searching for the sight of a familiar red and blue costume.

Pulling out her phone, she immediately dialed Peter stepping back from the crowd of spectators.

 **::Hey Na-::**

"Fire. Sunnyside." Nadia spoke quickly, eyeing the blaze worriedly. The fire was getting worse.

 **::Oh no. I…::** Peter hesitated. The young woman could guess from his tone that he was probably a little farther than he liked. **::I'll get there as soon as I can.::**

The line went dead and Nadia jumped when there was a small explosion at the second floor, shaking the ground and the building. Screams followed.

Two _childlike_ screams from one of the upper floors.

"Todd!"

"Marley!"

The teen she heard earlier was being restrained by a paramedic and an older lady was being barred from entering the burning building by a fireman.

There wasn't time to wait for Peter.

 _Dammit…_

Nadia dropped her bag and pulled the scarf around her neck up over her nose and mouth, just below her eyes. She tugged her jacket hood over her head and eyes to further obscure her face. She whispered an incantation as she ran forward, fingers moving in a pattern. While the firemen were distracted by the frantic old lady looking for her grandkid, the young woman ducked by them and entered the building.

One of them tried to stop her, but she'd quickly jumped through the fierce flames that were by the entrance. He swore the blaze parted for the young woman as she did so.

Nadia's eyes watered from the smoke, and she could feel the heat biting at her skin even with her spell. With a few movements of her hand, she made a direct path to the fifth floor.

"Todd! Marley!" She called out the names she had heard when she stepped through. She repeated the shout as she navigated the hallway, waiting for a reply.

The smoke was thick. Her scarf barely helped the ache in her chest when she breathed in.

"H-Help!"

She followed the cry to apartment at the end of the hall. She coughed, feeling the burning in her lungs. She shouldered a door open and walked through the burning home. Nadia gasped when she saw a little boy hunkered in the corner of the kitchen with another kid. The boy was hacking, the little girl he was with was bawling.

"It's okay. I got you." Nadia tried to calm the two down, quickly pulling the boy's hand to help him stand. He tugged back, looking at his friend.

"S-he can't walk." He pointed to the bandage wrapped around the girl's ankle.

"Damn…" Nadia crouched and helped the little girl up. She was small enough to balance on her hip. "Hang tight." She said sternly to the boy, gripping his hand. Once they moved to a more secure location, she could free her hands and conjure a path out.

They barely got out of the kitchen when the floor gave way beneath them and they fell to the level below.

Nadia shifted the kid she was carrying and pulled the boy to her body so they were on her stomach when she landed hard on her back.

The breath was blasted from her lungs. She coughed again, her whole body feeling like jelly. She inhaled more smoke trying to catch her breath. "A-Are you two okay?" She wheezed out.

The boy was shaking and didn't answer, tears rolling down his cheeks. "We're gonna die…" He whimpered. The girl in the young woman's arms cried harder.

Nadia's eyes narrowed. No… This couldn't be how she was going to die. She struggled to push herself up to her elbows.

* * *

Peter felt ice run through his veins when Nadia called about the fire. From how she sounded, it was bad. _Really bad_. He would have to ditch Ned… again.

He quickly found an alley and changed quickly into his costume and stuff his civilian clothes in his bag. In a few moments, he was swinging away with his bag webbed to the wall of the alley.

Ten minutes… It would take him more or less ten minutes to get to Sunnyside.

He hoped that he got there in time. Nadia wouldn't have called him if the fire department had things in hand. People must have been in danger.

A small part of him thought back to why Nadia didn't work as a hero. His sister figure definitely had what it took. She was strong enough to fight off that dinosaur-like monster a few days ago. She could heal people, too.

Whenever he asked her about being a hero, she'd reasoned that she didn't want to be found out… That she didn't want to attract attention. The tiny part of him almost resented her for it. Couldn't she be brave enough to take the risk? Was she scared? How could someone have powers no one else had and not do anything?

He shook himself out of it. Now was _definitely_ not the time to think about that.

He pulled harder on his web lines to increase his speed of his swings.

It took him longer than he wanted, but the burning apartment was soon in sight. He landed in front of the building and took a quick cursory glance around before asking a firefighter, "Is everyone out?" He didn't see Nadia in the crowd.

"Some crazy lady ran in, but she didn't come back out."

Peter heard the rumble of something collapsing inside before he felt someone grab his arm.

"My granddaughter and her friend are still in there!" An old woman said frantically, pointing at the fifth floor.

He didn't waste any more time. He shot out a web line and pulled himself up to the adjacent building. When he spotted movement through a window, he swung feet first through the glass, breaking into a kitchen.

Screams accompanied the sound of shattering glass, and then, "Spiderboy!".

It shocked him when he saw Nadia half sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped protectively around two kids.

* * *

The relief was palpable.

There was no time for pleasantries. They had to get out. Now.

After a split second, Spiderman snapped out of the shock of seeing Nadia and immediately took the little girl from her arms and swung back out to the street.

"Spiderman? Spiderman's here?" The little boy looked up hopefully out the window. There was a shine of awe and hope there. Nadia couldn't help but laugh mentally while she nodded. There really was something about a flashy hero costume that eased people's panic.

The young woman managed to get shakily up to one knee and was helping the kid to his feet when the vigilante swung back in. "Go!" She said hoarsely. Just as Spiderman got a hold on the little boy, a second, much more violent explosion rocked the building.

Time seemed to slow down. Nadia met Peter's gaze through his goggles, a vivid green consuming her irises like the fire around them. The same green glow of magic covered both her hands, one roughly shoving Peter and his precious cargo through the broken window, her torso shifting so she could swing her other hand out against the quickly approaching roar of flames.

Spiderman shot out a line of webbing to hold on to just as the explosion reached Nadia.

"NO!"

The green glow from her hand burst outward, swallowing the flames in a swirl of magic and a powerful whirlwind of smoke.

The violent gust shattered the windows and made him swing backwards, hitting his back on the building on the opposite side of the alley. The blow almost made him drop the kid in his arms, but he held on.

 _No. No no no._

Peter quickly handed the little boy to a paramedic and looked back to the floor he had been knocked out of.

It seemed a large portion of the fire on that floor had been put out. However, the flames still continued to eat at the rest of the building.

 _Nadia!_

The thought of losing her when he barely just recovered from losing his uncle… He couldn't…

 _No. Please God, no._

He swiftly pulled himself back up using a web line. Peter gasped at the sight that greeted him. All pieces of furniture and any loose objects in the room were crushed against the corners of the room, paint scraped off the walls.

"Wh-What?..."

His observation ended when his gaze fell on his sister figure. She was curled up on the ground, unconscious. Her hair was a mess, her hood and scarf blown back from the explosion. Her breathing was shallow and she was wheezing.

"Nadia… Nadia… _Oh God_." He knelt by her and slowly put his arm securely around her, under her armpits. Even if she was two inches taller than him, pulling her up was easy. He held her close to his side just as the floor creaked ominously beneath them. "We-We need to get out of here."

* * *

The walls were a stark white and almost everything smelled of bleach. The fluorescent lights reflected somewhat harshly on the grey and white marble floor. The atmosphere made Peter feel cold.

He hesitated in front of the door marked " _303_ " and would have lingered longer if his aunt May wasn't waiting right behind him.

"Nadia, sweetie!" May wrapped her arms around the young woman in a hug. "I saw what happened on the news. Peter told me it was you who ran in. It was very reckless of you to jump into that building like that!" The older woman held Nadia out at arm's length. "Very brave, but reckless!" May continued to lecture.

Nadia couldn't really reply and just looked sheepishly at the other woman. From her seat on the hospital bed, she saw Peter standing by the doorway, hesitant to enter.

He'd been uncertain about leaving her to the paramedics two days ago. He didn't really have a choice though. She needed a real doctor and Peter… Spiderman… didn't really have any contacts in that department.

"Now, I brought you some of the walnut bread I've been working on. It will be better with some coffee, though." May straightened back up and looked to Peter. Seeing the downcast look of her nephew and how he fidgeted, the woman came to a decision before she spoke. "I'm just going to run by the cafeteria for some coffee. Peter, get over here." She smiled at Nadia, walking out of the room before the younger woman or the teenage boy could comment.

The boy looked scared and regretful, but he took a few slow steps into the room.

"Hi there, Peter…" The teen noticed how his sister figure's voice was still raspy. She patted a hand on her bed, gesturing for him to sit down. Hesitantly, Peter moved forward again, sitting in the chair by her bed instead.

"Are- Are you sure you're o-okay, Nadia?" He asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

"I'm fine, Peter. Really." Nadia chuckled. "The doctor said I just have to stay here for one more day for observation." She waved a hand flippantly, trying her best to make light of her situation.

"Oh yeah… I-I was able to snag your messenger bag from the sidewalk. It's back- back at your apartment. I brought your phone though." Peter pulled out the gadget and handed it to Nadia. She smiled and took it from him gently, placing it on the side table after a quick glance at the screen.

The teenager ran his hands over the straps of his backpack not sure what else to say. His sister figure had been unconscious for the entirety of the first day she was at the hospital. They said it was just smoke inhalation. He did his research. Smoke inhalation wasn't supposed to knock her out like that.

The day of the incident, after helping making sure the fire wouldn't spread to the other buildings, he went back to the alley to grab his bag and swung as fast as he could to Midtown Manhattan. The ambulances had taken those with more serious injuries to Metro General Hospital.

He'd found a secluded corner to change before he rushed into the building and frantically asked around for Nadia. It had taken a while for someone to figure out who he was looking for because Nadia didn't have any form of identification on her. A Dr. Palmer, who had been treating Nadia, lead Peter to the unconscious young woman's bed in the emergency room. Seeing his sister figure there, pale with scratches on her face and arms from debris from the explosion made him feel guilty.

How could resentment have ever taken root in the back of his mind? How did he ever think that Nadia wasn't brave? His hands moved to his knees and he looked down, remorse overtaking him.

"Hey… Peter…" The young woman whispered gently when he noticed how glassy the young man's eyes were getting.

"I-I'm sorry…" He stuttered out, his voice cracked. Nadia had run into a burning building, for crying out loud! She was _incredibly_ brave. "You could've d-died… and I- I've been pushing you about-about b-being a hero…"

Peter fell silent when Nadia put a hand on top of his head, the other holding his shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

"It was my decision to run in there, Peter. _Mine_. You don't have to apologize for anything."

"But… I-I-" He sniffed.

Her hand ran through his hair in a soothing motion, quieting him for a moment.

"I should have gotten there _quicker_ …" He said so softly, Nadia almost didn't hear him.

She shook her head. " _No Peter_. Even when you're a hero, you can't be everywhere at once." She said firmly, looking into his brown eyes. "What happened to me was _not_ your fault. I'm not a hero, Peter. I don't think that will every really change. For that… I am _sorry_. But I've been running into all kinds of dangerous situations to help other people long before I met you. It's just been a while…"

"R-Really?…" Peter looked at her, as if trying to discern if she was really telling the truth. "You're- you're not just s-saying that, right?..."

"Like your aunt said, I'm reckless. I've been reckless even when I was just a kid." Nadia wrapped her arms around him then, with one hand continuing its previous motions. She remembered how her mother did the same thing to her when she was younger. It seemed to work for Peter too, making his breathing slowly even out. "You really saved me the other day." Nadia leaned back to look into the boy's eyes again.

After a moment, she grinned and ruffled Peter's hair. "Besides, I don't think I can pull off a hero suit like you or the Avengers. I don't even have a hero name." The boy's guilt was washed away by his sister figure's easy teasing.

"Alright! Alright!" Peter whined playfully whacked at Nadia's arms. "Quit it, Dumbledore!" She laughed, knowing full well that the teen could have easily gotten out of her hold any time he wanted.

"I'm not a guy!" Nadia pouted and gave him a light noogie for the slight.

"Bellatrix then?" Peter said in a serious tone before laughing when his sister figure messed his hair up more roughly.

"I'm not a villain either!" She whined indignantly, before the boy twisted out of her hold to return the favor and muss her hair too.

"But you have her hair!" Peter declared.

The two ended up in a war to try and tousle each other's tresses as much as possible. It lasted a few minutes before they laughed breathlessly at their disheveled looks.

It took the sound of several camera clicks to snap them out of their little bubble. "Who wants a mocha latte?" May singsonged, reappearing in the doorway, a paper coffee holder in one hand, her phone in the other. The smile on her face was wide when she saw that the two in the room roughhousing and laughing. Peter had been melancholy since yesterday and she was beginning to worry about him. It looked like she didn't have to anymore.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Reviews are always nice. Please send in your thoughts and suggestions if you have anything you want to see in this story. We're going into the start of Homecoming next chapter, so get ready for that~ :)  
'Til next time~_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Just a glimpse into what happened during Civil War and sort of part of Homecoming (though not really). Shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoy.  
**_

 _ **Shads: I don't know if I'll get the chance to really bring them in since Thor's off world, and the other avengers are in hiding. I'm left with Rhodey and Vision.**_

* * *

"Retreat?"

"It was such a surprise for me too." May gushed. "Peter didn't tell me anything until Tony Stark himself came to say that he was accepted for the internship. Though, honestly, I don't like that man very much, but it will still be a once in a lifetime chance for Peter."

"Wow." Was all Nadia could say. She'd expected that Ironman would take notice soon. Still, a superpowered vigilante popping up practically beside the Avengers tower would garner attention.

The "retreat" must have been related to something about the Avengers. The latest news was that Captain America had gone rogue. It was that, right?

"I'm proud of him. But I wish he told me. It was a bit of a rush when Mister Stark had him whisked away for the retreat." May chuckled.

Nadia smiled. "He probably just wanted to be sure that he got it before he told you."

May mirrored the younger woman's expression. "That would be just like Peter."

Nadia spent a bit longer with Peter's aunt, sharing some gossip and a recipe for turkey meatloaf. She figured there wasn't much she could do for now. Peter would be in Berlin for a few days. She didn't want to go to the library to study. She'd already gone there months ago. She knew that she would start overthinking things if she went through the books again.

The dark haired woman thought about the fight that the teen was going to be involved in. She knew she didn't have anything to worry about, that Peter would have the time of his life… but still… He was going to face some heavy hitters.

* * *

"New York, Queens. It's a rough borough, but hey, it's home-"

"Who you talking to?" Happy interrupted.

"No one. Just making a little video of the trip." Peter smiled sheepishly, reverting to his normal voice.

"You know you can't show it to anyone."

"Y-Yeah…" He hesitated for a split second. Nadia would love to see this when he got back. "I know."

"Then why are you narrating in that voice?"

"Uhhh, 'cause it's fun." The teen said simply, like the answer was obvious.

"Fine." The man said flatly.

"So why they call you "Happy"?"

When the divider hummed shut, Peter stopped recording. The dismissal didn't dampen his spirits though. He was going out of the country for the first time in his life. All the way to Berlin too.

Still hyped, he couldn't help but send a quick text about the truth of his trip to the only person he could tell. His aunt probably told Nadia all about what Mr. Stark said, but she would know that Ironman wasn't exactly the kind of person to have time to personally congratulate every person who was lucky enough to get into any Stark related grants or internships.

His phone buzzed before he could though. When he saw the name on the message, he couldn't help but wonder if clairvoyance was part of Nadia's ability to use magic.

 ** _Nadia:_**

 ** _So… nice job getting into the Stark internship.  
May said you're on a way to a retreat?  
I'm thinking Stark knows then?_**

 ** _Peter:_**

 ** _Yeah! Berlin. Can you believe it?!  
No one's told me exactly why I'm going there though.  
But still… Berlin! On a plane! Gosh I've never ridden  
a plane!_**

Nadia chuckled at how Peter's message was punctuated with emojis at the end. She could imagine his voice as he spazzed out at the opportunity.

 ** _Peter:_**

 ** _Yeah. Mr Stark knows. I was surprised when he showed  
me that video of me on youtube with the car and the  
bus._**

Then her phone gave a string of beeps and several messages popped up one after the other on her screen.

 ** _Peter: Can u believe Ironman chose me?_**

 ** _Peter: Ironman!_**

 ** _Peter: mAbe that means I get 2 b an avenger!_**

 ** _Peter: 8'll b awezm 2 mEt Thor. Hez sppsd  
2 b d god f thunder!_**

She smiled at how the messages deteriorated more into text speak. Peter always spelled out his words. He must be really excited.

 ** _Peter: Oh yeah, I think me going to Berlin has something  
to do with Captain America going crazy_**

 ** _Peter: I'm not sure._**

 ** _Peter: We're arriving at the air strip. Happy might get  
mad if he sees me texting. Promise I'll send you  
a message once we get to Berlin._**

He seemed to have mellowed out a bit in the last messages.

 ** _Nadia: Okay Spiderboy. Enjoy your trip.  
If you really are going up against Cap,  
be careful. He may be a grandpa, but  
he's a super soldier._**

Nadia paused before she sent one more message.

 ** _Nadia: Get me a souvenir if you can. :)_**

* * *

"So he texted you."

The young woman wasn't surprised to see the man standing in her living room. She did see the sports car parked in front of her apartment building.

"Yup." She answered simply, popping the "p". She continued on to her kitchen, putting a hand on Stevie's head and giving his ears a scratch to calm him. The canine had been standing tense at the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, growling at the billionaire. "Coffee?"

"Judging from your lack of a real reaction, I think the little Spiderling already told you about me."

Nadia shrugged and brought two mugs of coffee to the living room, setting them on the table. Stevie, followed close behind.

"The moment you left his apartment." She took a seat in the armchair beside her couch, watching the man look at the pictures she had on her wall. Stevie lay down protectively by Nadia's feet and gave Stark another warning growl. The billionaire just threw the dog an uncaring glance.

"He really trusts you. Sees you as a sister even." He picked up a particular frame and angled his body away from her. Tony thought he was being subtle, but Nadia saw the glint of his high tech phone when he pointed it at the picture and scanned it.

"I guess. I see him as a little brother, plus he's attached to me because we both share a secret." She looked pointedly at Stark with her next statement. "But, you know my secret too."

"You can say that, Sabrina." He turned around, holding up the picture. It was one of her as a child, with a woman in her twenties who had ash brown hair and grey eyes. His phone pinged and he glanced at the screen, raising an eyebrow before he looked back at the young woman sipping coffee.

"Anya Capelli… She's your mother?" Tony asked. "You look like her, except for the hazel eyes and dark hair."

Nadia gave a nod. "I think that makes me look more like my dad. I always thought that was a side effect of the magic." She shrugged. "On the other hand, I think I have the same eye shape as my father."

Tony gave her an unreadable look. The billionaire and the young woman both raised a single eyebrow at each other.

"Well then…" He clapped his hands together. Nadia could see the tension in his shoulders. Funny, from what she knew about Tony Stark, he wasn't one to get awkward. But then… this was a unique situation.

"You look like you're doing alright. Cute dog and nice apartment, by the way." He gestured around. "Cozy place. A little small though..." He trailed off and cleared his throat. "I just came by to tell you myself that I'll be taking Underoos on a little trip. Don't want you doing voodoo on me or whatever if you jump to conclusions about him suddenly leaving." He wiggled his fingers.

"Just promise to watch him, Stark." She sighed. "You'll know just what "voodoo" I can pull if he gets hurt on your mission." Nadia said almost threateningly.

"Of course I will." Tony rolled his eyes. The young woman just gave him a pointed look.

"I'll make sure he eats his vegetables." He said flatly.

"Good."

There was another moment of silence before Tony turned and made for the door. "Now, that that's set, I better get going. Gotta go after Capsicle and his boy band after all."

Before the door shut closed behind him, Nadia called out from the living room.

"Be careful out there!"

The young woman stared at the door. Stark was leaving. She thought his original departure time might have been a bit delayed waiting for her to get back to her apartment. Leaning back on her couch, Stevie jumped up on her lap and she couldn't help but indulge him with a good scratch behind the ears. She closed her eyes, deep in thought.

Berlin….

The airport fight was probably going to happen by tomorrow once Peter arrived and got his new suit. After that fight, Nadia wasn't sure just when she would get the chance to see Steve Rogers again. She'd been in New York with her mother during the Chitauri attack years ago, subtly lending a hand and keeping civilians safe. She'd seen glimpses of the Captain in action then, though hadn't really met him.

Sad… Steve was technically the first hero her grandmother decided she would watch over back in the 1920's. And the Winter Soldier... There was just no chance once things were set into motion. It would have been nice to get to know both of them personally before they were labeled war criminals and had to go into hiding.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Yup, this was more Civil War than anything. The next chapter will be more of a glimpse into the Capelli family history, so look out for that. Reviews are always nice. Please send in your thoughts and suggestions if you have anything you want to see in this story.  
_**


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: A little bit of Capelli family history. I thought I'd include snippets like this chapter every once in a while. Enjoy~**_

 **Charlie: Haha... I was actually expecting someone to ask that question sooner or later. Right now they're at a sibling bond, but my stories usually take on a life of their own, so I'm not sure where it will go in the future. Your question actually made me think of the other possibilities and options. XD**

 **Little-Miss-Anime-Luva: I'm glad you like Nadia. I'm doing my best to keep her cool, but hopefully not turning into a Mary Sue.**

* * *

Perennial Capelli, Renny, was barely fifteen when it happened.

When her world was turned on its head. Rather… Her world was swapped for another.

Renny thought she'd time travelled at first when she found herself thrown into the late 20's. It was traumatic to say the least, living life in the streets for almost a month, trying to survive while processing that she had somehow travelled back in time.

It was a chilly autumn day, she could remember it clearly- the grey sky and the rain that seeped through her clothes.

Renny remembered thinking how higher powers wasted energy sending her back in time just to get sick and die. She'd sat in a small shaded alcove by the side of a building, eyes staring at nothing, doing her best not to think of how cold she felt. A feeling of numbness washed over her as she tilted her face up to the sky and closed her eyes, pulling her knees to her chest. Maybe it would be okay if she died.

She wanted to laugh at the idea of such a sad and pathetic end, but all she could do was chuckle and let a bitter smile curve her lips.

"Hello, miss."

The teen opened her eyes, light orbs meeting warm brown. A young boy stood in front of her… she guessed that he was maybe ten years old. "It's pretty cold out and this rain is getting bad." The boy scuffed his shoe on the ground. "You'll catch a cold if you stay out here. My best friend gets sick a lot, and his ma makes him take these medicines. Steve says they taste real bad." He stuck his tongue out, nose wrinkling.

Renny finally noticed that the rain drops had stopped soaking into her jacket, and she could just hear a steady pitter patter of water. Looking up, she saw that the boy had been holding an umbrella over her.

"Medicine usually tastes bad." She agreed, her expression a bit confused. Why did this boy stop to talk to some random girl on the side of the street? He looked slightly awkward as he scratched the back of his neck.

"That's why you shouldn't get sick, miss. Are you waiting for the rain to stop?" He asked innocently.

Oh… he probably thought she was waiting out the rain in the shade. She couldn't just tell the kid that she didn't have anywhere to go. Kids were sometimes silly and tried to solve things that were bigger than them. She didn't want to possibly make him feel guilty that he couldn't do anything and had to leave her to her misery.

"Yeah. You should get moving too before this rain gets worse. You might get sick." Renny smiled again, her eyes glinting sadly, her expression soft.

The boy's cheeks warmed slightly, and the teen noticed how he seemed to be looking for something. He must have found it, because a determined look became present in his eyes like he made a serious decision. The expression was undoubtedly cute on a kid's face.

"Here, lady." He said, holding out the handle to his umbrella.

Renny was shocked, to say the least. "I can't take this. You need it more than me. It's difficult when kids get sick." The 20's wasn't exactly the best time to get pneumonia.

The boy shook his head and put the handle firmly in her hands. "Don't worry about me, miss. I live just close by, I can run." He pulled his jacket over his head and got ready to make a break for it. "Besides, my pop said gentlemen lend ladies their jackets and stuff." He grinned impishly before adding, "Especially when it's a pretty dame."

Before he could dart off, Renny got over her shock enough to ask him, "M-May I ask for the kindly gentleman's name before he leaves?"

The little boy's grin widened, the previous light blush on his cheeks a little more evident. "Name's Bucky." He answered simply before running off.

She called out after him before he could turn a corner. "I'm Renny by the way!" The boy slowed down, turning and walking backwards.

"Nice meeting you, Miss Renny!" He gave her one last smile before dashing off again.

"Bucky…" The girl smiled, thinking of someone with the same nickname. Nice boy. Naïve, but nice. He even looked like a kid version of-

"James Buchanan Barnes!" She heard the yell come from somewhere around the corner. It sounded like a woman. "You are soaking wet! Where is your umbrella?"

"Sorry, Ma. Forgot it." The kid's voice answered.

Renny heard the first voice fuss before it was cut off by the sound of a shutting door.

It was then she processed just what she had heard.

Bucky.

James Buchanan Barnes.

 _That_ Bucky?

Renny took a deep, shuddering breath.

This had to be a joke. Right?

As if getting thrown back in time wasn't enough of a twist.

She put a hand to her forehead before running through the conversation she had with little boy Bucky.

He even mentioned that his best friend's name was Steve and that that friend got sick a lot.

Like _Steve Rogers_ before the super soldier serum.

Those things couldn't be coincidence… It was way too much to be chance.

The need to confirm everything put new strength in her limbs, and she didn't feel the cold as much anymore. She had to find some hard evidence, maybe a newspaper article with familiar names.

Standing up and clutching the umbrella tight, she made her way down the sidewalk. There had to be evidence somewhere. Something to cement the fiction that had now become her reality. Something to tell her she was in a world where the future Captain America and Winter Soldier existed.

Looks like the powers that be had some kind of plan for her.

* * *

 ** _A/N: So, there you go. Just a filler this time. What do you think? Do you guys want more of these types of snippets in the future? I would love to know what you think and if you have any suggestions.  
_**

 ** _Oh yeah, I'm a wee bit curious. How do you readers picture Nadia? Is there a particular actress you see playing her? I'd love to know that too._**

 ** _Till next time~_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Thank you so much to everybody who has read, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts and favorites. So we're moving into the two months between when Peter comes back from Berlin and when the Homecoming movie really starts.  
**_

 _ **Guest: I'm glad that you think so highly of this story. I really like the thought of giving Peter an older sister figure, so I'm really enjoying myself. The previous chapter was actually focused on Nadia's grandmother, who arrived in the Marvel universe sometime in the 20's. I think I'll be posting a chapter like the previous one every once in a while, to build on this side story. Thanks so much for the review!**_

* * *

 _"So... there's going to be this bake sale thing at our school this Saturday." Peter said after a taking a spoonful of ice cream. Ned perked up beside him._

 _"Yeah! You should totally make your fudge walnut cookies. I'd bet they'd be a best-seller." The bigger boy grinned, thinking about his favorite cookies._

 _"Definitely." Peter agreed._

 _"Hmmm…" Nadia hummed around the metal spoon in her mouth. The three were sitting in the living room of Peter's apartment. May wasn't home yet._

 _"It's to raise funds for the new lab equipment after the incident with the frog." Ned shuddered._

 _"Frog?" Nadia turned to Peter curiously._

 _"Y-Yeah… It's kind of a gross story." The teen looked hesitant. The look on the young woman's face said she didn't get easily grossed out. "W-Well… You see there was a class that did some frog dissection. Someone didn't- didn't… well… p-pin down their frog properly."_

 _"I'm guessing they already made a cut when it got loose." Nadia chuckled slightly._

 _The young woman had denied it, but Peter was almost sure that she had some level of clairvoyance._

 _Ned had his phone out, finger swiping at the screen. "I remember someone videoed the whole thing… wait…" He swiped and tapped for about a minute before, "Here!" He flipped the screen and handed the phone to Nadia. A video was waiting to be played._

 _When she pressed play, immediately there was the sound of panicked and grossed out screams, yelps and squeals… from both girls and boys. Even the teacher had panicked. Well, Nadia thought she might have panicked at that age too._

 _On the floor of the lab, a dark green frog was hopping around, his guts hanging out, making a bloody splat with each landing on the formerly pristine tiles._

 _A group of girls backed right into a table that slid back hard enough to a supply cabinet, breaking the cabinet door and letting a large amount of glassware spill out and break on the floor._

 _It didn't help that the frog jumped again toward those hysterical girls and made them hit the table and supply cabinet again, as well as an adjacent shelf._

 _"Ugh… dude. That's still gross. I did not have to see that while I was eating." Peter groaned, putting down his spoon and bowl._

 _"She asked." Ned said, scrunching his face when he took his phone back and the video just happened to be paused on a close up of the frog. He put his spoon down as well._

 _"Well… I think that's enough ice cream anyway. If you guys don't eat dinner later, May will kill me. I'm supposed to be the responsible adult." Nadia popped one more spoonful of ice cream in her mouth before taking the tub of the frozen dessert back to the fridge._

 _"Give me your bowls, I need to get rid of the evidence." Nadia called from the kitchen. Peter complied, following her to the sink with the dishes they used._

 _"So about the bake sale…" Peter started._

 _The young woman looked at him._

 _"You're being a little insistent about this." Nadia said, narrowing her eyes at the teen._

 _He turned his head, not looking his sister figure in the eyes. The answer was clear when she noticed the light blush on his cheeks._

 _"That girl is part of that bake sale somehow, isn't she? Liz, right?"_

 _"She-She organized it." Peter mumbled, before standing up straighter. "B-but I just thought it would be n-nice, you know? If other people... you know… knew that you make- that you bake real good cookies… and stuff…"_

 _"It's a great opportunity right?" Ned added, appearing at Peter's side, trying to save his friend some embarrassment._

 _"You both know how I like baking." Nadia chuckled, rinsing off the bowls before putting them aside. "I would have said yes without any convincing. And yes, it'll be good to build my rep. I make potential connections and customers doing what I love." She said, walking back to the living room and plopping back onto the couch. She eyed the two boys with a smile. It was cute how they both had a crush on the same girl, but were still good friends._

 _"Oh-Okay…" Ned and Peter said at the same time._

 _"You two will be helping me out anyway. Ned tell your parents, and Peter, tell May. We're going to spend Friday afternoon baking at my place."_

 _The two boys cheered and gave each other high fives._

 _Her soft smile turned into an impish grin. "Besides, won't it be nice to be able to tell Liz that you can bake?"_

* * *

Nadia sighed. That bake sale happened shortly before Berlin. She smiled wistfully at the memory of the boys helping her to bake cookies, brownies, and some muffins in her apartment.

How she'd patiently taught them how to make each pastry. How Ned and Peter kept sneaking a taste of cookie dough and brownie batter. How they almost burnt the first batch of cookies. She actually had Peter distract Ned for a moment to use a little magic to save the batch.

 _"I just wanted to say, I owe you a life debt for teaching us how to make these heavenly cookies."_ Ned had said then.

The sale had gone well, with Queens remaining quiet and crime free for most of the morning and afternoon, Peter didn't have to rush off to be a vigilante. Nadia teased the teen a bit when she saw the senior girl he had a crush on that day and got to talk to her. Liz was a sweet and she was pretty. Nadia could see why Peter would like a girl like her. Liz's mother was nice too. The older woman had loved her macadamia lemon bars.

 _"You know Peter and Ned helped me make these. I don't think I would have been able to make enough for the bake sale without them."_

 _"Really? I didn't know you two bake."_

Peter's reaction then was adorable.

She missed those times when Peter was more carefree.

It had just been over two weeks since Spiderboy got back from his first mission and got his new suit from Tony Stark. She rarely saw Peter do normal teenager things anymore. Though she did see a lot of Spiderman. Her apartment fire escape was his drop off point after all.

He went on patrol practically every day now.

Nadia understood that he was all hyped up about being recognized by someone as big as Ironman, but she was worried that Peter was neglecting the other half of his double life.

 _"He said that someone would come over and call me for our next mission! Isn't that awesome?!"_

She shook her head… Peter was definitely hooked waiting for the next call. The next mission. Who wouldn't be antsy fighting petty crime after being in a battle against someone like Captain America? She had tried to tell him to take it easy, but then…

 _"What if Mr. Stark needs me and we have to go on a mission again? I have to be prepared."_

She sighed when she got home and there was a small white box on her coffee table. She picked it up and read the note stuck on it.

 ** _Happy would appreciate it if  
someone could help him keep  
an eye on the little Spiderling._**

 ** _-T.S._**

Curious, she opened the box and wasn't surprised to see a sleek black phone. Picking it up, it looked more like a clear piece of glass rimmed in black. She tapped the glass twice, not seeing a home button, and was rewarded when the screen lit up a pale blue. A round of dots was circulating in the middle, like it was booting up.

"Huh…" She heard a subtle click and chime before a message popped onto the screen that said,

 _Facial Recognition Confirmed_

The home screen became visible and she could see a few icons lined up at the bottom. The background a gradient, semi-transparent blue.

She jumped when it started playing an AC/DC song though. An icon with Tony's picture was on the screen. Apparently, he wanted to video chat.

Huh…

Nadia accepted the call and the billionaire's face popped on the screen.

 **::Hey there, Sabrina. Looks like you finally opened the package. What took you so long? I thought your shift ended at 2:30?::**

"I have the right to do what I want after work…" She said flatly. She didn't want to question how the man knew her work schedule. Tony was Tony. "So what's up, Stark?"

 **::No need to sound so suspicious. Just checking up.::**

Nadia raised an eyebrow. "Ooookay…"

 **::Anyway, like the note says, it will be nice for someone close by to help Happy keep an eye on Peter.::**

"You know I already technically do that, right? How much closer can I keep an eye on him? Be his sidekick?" She chuckled at the word.

 **::Well, I was thinking partner or something like that. Nice job in New York, by the way. Took me a while to find this.::** His tone was smug.

A window popped up on the side, showing a younger version of her fighting of Chitauri and help keep structures from collapsing while civilians evacuated.

"I'm not going to ask you how you got that, because you're Tony Stark… but I'll tell you like I told Peter. I'm not a hero."

 **::Back-up then.::** Tony paused before adding reluctantly. **::I can't really be there for him, so it'll be nice to know he has support. Happy told me he got a text from the kid saying he was thinking of quitting his school band and the robotics club. He's still a kid, he needs to relax and take it easy for now.::** The man gave her a look.

Nadia was amazed that he would even admit that. She let out a deep sigh because she understood what he was hinting at.

"I'll think about it, okay?" She sighed.

Tony grinned like she already said yes. **::Good to know, Sabrina. Keep me posted.::**

Before the young woman could say anything else, the call ended.

She had already been turning the idea over in her head for a while, even before the request. The call from Tony and her growing worry for Peter only strengthened her resolve.

Stevie padded up to her and brushed against her leg, whining, before going back to the kitchen. He swatted his paw against his food bowl.

"Oh, it's barely ten minutes past your dinner time. Don't be whiny." Nadia scolded the canine with a smile.

As she poured kibble into Stevie's bowl, she couldn't help but wonder.

What would she call herself anyway?

* * *

 ** _A/N: I am taking suggestions for Nadia's possible hero name. I'm not sure if she'll totally work in the shadows or earn herself a reputation enough to be known by the public. There'll be other glimpses of Nadia's powers, her costume, and other stuff like that that will come along later. Any other thoughts about how this is going? Reviews are greatly appreciated._**

 **Till next time~**


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Happy holidays everybody!~ Hope you guys are enjoying the holiday season and all. Anyway, here's the next chapter. It explores more of the possibility of Nadia becoming a new vigilante in Queens.  
**_

 _ **Thanks again to everybody who took the time to read, review, and add this story to their alerts.**_

 _ **Love Fiction 2017: I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review for each chapter of the story. Mwah!~ I'm also very glad that you're liking the story so far. I hope that the story continues to pique your interest.**_

 _ **CupcakeLoopy: Circe was actually one of my first thoughts as well. I might just go with it. :)**_

* * *

"Really?" Peter asked, looking wide-eyed and disbelieving.

Nadia nodded. "This way, at least you'd get a chance to both patrol and have a day or two off."

The teen arrived after finishing his patrol. Before he could leave, Nadia had asked if they could talk. Now they were both sitting on the rooftop of her apartment building.

"Are you- Are you sure it'll be okay?" Peter looked a bit doubtful. "You always said you didn't want to be a hero."

She sighed. "I know I did. I also said that I can be reckless and like helping people." The young woman looked sideways before she admitted. "You once told me I could do it. Be a hero. And it made me wonder why I'm not." She looked up at the sky from her seat on the edge of the rooftop. "I prefer silence, and quiet, but you're right. Not doing anything with my powers is a bit of a waste. Besides, I won't really be a hero. I'm not flashy. I'll always stay mostly in the shadows."

Peter fixed her with a serious look.

"Come on. Ned and May miss you. I can even cover patrol on the days you have band practice and robotics club, so you won't really need to quit school activities. I promise I'll stick to the small things, and when something big comes up…" She held up her phone. "I have your number."

Peter looked like he was deep in thought. "Well… if you're sure…" The teen finally agreed haltingly.

"Oh, you can't fool me Spiderboy! You miss your movie marathons and Lego sets." Nadia laughed and ruffled Peter's hair.

"Hey!" The teen frantically tried to fight off the young woman's hands, placing his own on top of his head to shield his hair.

"Confess!" Nadia laughed and poked him on the nose, looking at him slyly.

"I- I might… Maybe…" Peter admitted, a hint of red on his cheeks.

Nadia smiled, thinking not to push with her teasing. Peter wanted to be recognized as a hero, do big things… but the truth was, he really was still just a kid.

"What about a suit though?" Peter looked at her contemplatively.

"Not a hero!" Nadia put her hands up defensively. "No spandex!" She said, chuckling, though she still had a wary look in her eyes.

"No? I wouldn't think so." The boy laughed. "But you'd still need to hide your face if you want to stay in the shadows. A-A mask maybe?"

"Probably…" The young woman looked thoughtful. "So a mask, and maybe some modifications to my old training uniform. I can probably make a glamour charm to be safe too."

"Training uniform?" Peter repeated.

"That's right! I never told you." Nadia shrugged. "It's not really a secret anyway." She looked straight at the boy beside her and smiled. Contradictory to her statement, she leaned in and spoke in a hushed voice. "I'm not the only sorcerer around, you know."

"R-Really?! Like-Like h-how many are there?!" Peter said excitedly.

"Tone it down a bit, Peter." Nadia chuckled. "I never really counted, but when I was studying, there were several classes-"

"Classes?!" Peter was even more enthusiastic. "Magic can be-can be learned?!" He gaped. An excited gleam lit up his eyes. "Can… Can you t-teach me?!"

She poked him on the forehead this time. "Magic isn't a joke, Peter. I don't know if you even have an affinity for it. Maybe I can teach you a simple spell or two, but I can't teach high level sorcery." Unconsciously, her fingers touched the grooves engraved on the simple round pendant on her neck. "Besides, you have awesome powers already. You should be concentrating on mastering those." She grinned. "Anyway… I get to use the TARDIS dimension again. As long as we keep away from central New York, we can train there. Gotta get ready for my first patrol, after all."

Peter bounced up to his feet. "Y-yeah!" Nadia didn't know if he was agreeing with her, was excited about possibly learning some magic, or elated at the prospect of having a partner.

A hero who could physically be there for him.

Someone close to home.

* * *

"Why don't we spar?"

"Spar?" Nadia questioned, looking up from the floor of her living room where she had laid out her old training uniform.

"Yeah!... I mean… that's what most heroes in movies and stuff do. They spar with other heroes, sidekicks, handlers, or whatever…" Peter trailed off, once more looking down at the web shooters he was again tinkering with.

"You'll beat me with your athleticism and inhuman reflexes, Peter. Hands down." She looked up to him and frowned. "What did I say about working on those things here?"

"S-Sorry." He stuttered when she raised a single eyebrow at him.

Nadia hummed. "This is too bright." She commented on the fabric, it was mostly grey and white.

Peter looked over her shoulder at the uniform on the carpet. Basically it was a simple sleeveless top and coat, something that looked like a too long scarf, arm warmers and pants. A leather sash was neatly folded on top of the pile, along with a pair of simple gauntlets.

"How about blue or dark grey?" He suggested, something niggling at the back of his mind looking at the get-up.

"Just what I was thinking." The young woman nodded. She took the fabric between her fingers, muttering some words. A glow started at her fingertips and spread out from where she was holding the cloth. Following the magic like a wave, the fabric changed to the darker colors she mentioned.

"That... That is _so_ cool…" Peter breathed, awed by the sight. When the spell was finished, Nadia held up the uniform. The teenager stared at it with narrowed eyes. "It still doesn't look like it would give you much protection from attacks."

"Mage, Peter." Nadia said, inspecting the fabric and making sure that the spell had covered the entire uniform. "You know all the stereotypes where mages can't handle physical attacks well, but can deal out some badass magic. Not that I can't take a hit. Besides, what kind of defense stats do _you_ get from spandex?" She stood up, "The important thing, is that I can move." She put her hand out, palm down, facing the uniform on the floor. " _Endre steder…"_

"I'm enhanced and- whoah…"

Similar to the glow that changed the color of the fabric, another wave of magic progressed from her shoulders, flowing down to her toes. Her cream blouse and black skirt switched for the uniform on the floor. "Hmmm…" She looked at the coat and black boots that were still on the carpet. "Looks like I need a little more-"

"Oh my God! Y-You look like Rey!" Peter said, his voice a touch higher.

"Rey?" Nadia was slightly confused.

"Your pants might be longer, but I swear, that looks like a dark version of what Rey wears in The Force Awakens." The teenager grinned, watching his sister figure walk toward the full length mirror she had transferred from her bedroom to the living room.

"I haven't worn this thing in years, and I still haven't put on the outer coat. I wouldn't really know-" She paused when she took in her appearance in the glass. "Oh wow, I'm a Jedi."

"Told yah~" Peter said a bit triumphantly, then choked on a laugh. "And some people say Jedi are some kind of space wizards."

Nadia chuckled, changing her ballet flats for the boots. Stretching, and getting a feel of the once familiar uniform, she then threw a playful grin at Peter.

"Okay, Spiderboy. You up for a round or two?" She challenged, tying her hair into a loose bun and stepping back and disappearing into the mirror dimension.

Peter shot up and put his mask back on, stepping through what seemed like a wall of shattered glass.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy- "The teenager was knocked on his back by what looked like a snowball of magic that exploded into dust when it made contact with his face. He sputtered a bit when his vision cleared and his sister figure was standing over him with a victorious grin.

"Space wizard, one~." Nadia teased.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Short one this time, but next chapters will really get into Homecoming. Reviews are always appreciated._**

 **Till next time~**


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Here it is! In this chapter, we really get into Homecoming. I think this turned out way longer than I thought it would be at first. Technically, this was supposed to be just an additional chapter that I forgot when I noticed a gap in the chapters I already have written. Anyway, thanks again to everyone who read, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts and favorites! Enjoy the story~  
**_

* * *

The two fell into a routine after that. After Peter finished school for the day, he and Nadia would spend an hour or so in the mirror dimension. They would switch between having "powers-banned" and "no-bars" sparring sessions. After that, they would go on patrol together.

Peter was definitely more showy, not bothering to be subtle while he swung around Queens, waving at people, showboating, even stopping to do a flip for someone who asked. This worked to Nadia's advantage. Spider-man pulled all the attention to himself while she shadowed him. No one really paid any mind to the mysterious figure that was ghosting around.

Nadia was Peter's shadow while she got used to patrolling. Peter eagerly gave her tips and tricks about being a vigilante.

"This is a hotspot for a lot of thieves."

"I don't know why, but the people looking to grab a car always come here."

"After patrolling for a while, I figured this was the best place to just relax while watching this neighborhood. It's easy to spot if something's wrong."

In fact, he gave her a what could have been a vigilante tour of Queens. Showing her all the places of note- vantage points, safe rest spots, hot spots for crime.

Nadia's company seemed to both take away Peter's anxiety and make him more anxious about dealing with mostly petty crimes, giving directions to lost ladies and stopping would be bike thieves.

"Okay." Nadia chuckled on the sixth day during a lull in their patrol, "I think you covered everything." She looked out to the streets below her while Peter practiced his balance while crossing a line of webbing.

"Yeah, I think that's everything." The teenager bent his knees before launching himself into the air and flipping to the water tank Nadia was on.

"Now, we need to discuss patrol areas then." She took out her phone and opened up a map of Queens. "On days that we both go out, we'll split the area."

Peter nodded. "We can switch between north and south of Jackie Robinson and Grand Central Parkway or east and west of the I-678." He drew two lines with his finger, marking the divide on her phone screen with a doodle.

"That works. I know we'll be focusing on Queens, but the north and west sections will have Manhattan." Nadia noticed. "It's definitely a hot spot. We can't just ignore it."

"Hmmm… Th-Then we can just… cycle through both the north-south and east-west patrols." Peter shrugged. "We take turns taking Manhattan." He then smiled a little impishly, though Nadia couldn't see it because of his mask, his white lenses narrowed with his amusement. "And you said you weren't a hero."

"Not a hero. Just a concerned citizen." The young woman waved him off. "Since I'll start doing solo patrols and there's a definite possibility of people seeing me, I decided on this." Nadia conjured a mask in her hand. It was smooth, like porcelain, and would cover the top half of her face.

"Uhm… It's alright." Peter hesitated, shrugging again.

"Spit it out, Spiderboy." Nadia nudged him in the ribs.

"Well…" He paused. "It's a _little_ plain, isn't it?" The teenager said, taking the item to inspect it more closely. "A domino mask would be cool, too. Blue or black will match your costume." He suggested enthusiastically.

"You know, I really don't get how others think a domino mask would hide their identity well. It doesn't cover much." The young woman watched him run his fingers over the material of her mask. She tapped the surface. "White, so it'll provide some contrast to the dark colors. I don't want to look like a villain." She then took the mask back and placed it over her face.

When it she put down her hand, a pale blue glow covered her eyes. "The eyes are one of the most distinctive features someone can have after all," She smiled shakily. "Best cover them up."

"Okay. The glow makes up for the plain mask." Peter said after a moment of consideration. He noticed how tightly Nadia gripped the edge of the metal grate they were seated on.

She let out a long, slow breath, then chuckled. "My first solo patrol, huh..."

The teenager nudged the young woman with his elbow. "Hey. You'll do great." Peter assured. He sighed when Nadia's smile was still a bit shaky. Coming to a spur of the moment decision, he held out one hand.

"Give me your phone." The young woman looked at him a bit confused. "J-Just give it-" He quickly took it from her hand when she dug out the device from a pocket in her robes. He fiddled with it for a moment before he gave it back to her. "Th-There. I'm on speed dial. So if you run in trouble or anything like that…" Peter shrugged again, rubbing the back of his neck.

Nadia laughed earnestly this time, playfully pushing Peter off the side of the water tank. He gracefully flipped to land lightly on his feet. "Hey!"

Nadia followed him down to the rooftop, still laughing. "You know, _I'm_ supposed to be the adult. I should be assuring you, yet _you're_ the one looking after me."

Peter felt his cheeks heat up, then a thought came to him at Nadia's words. "Oh yeah!" He pulled out his phone and scrolled down his contacts. "I need to call Happy and give him m-my report… Oh man…" The teen looked at the blue robed young woman beside him unsurely. "I haven't- I haven't told him…" He trailed off.

"You're worried what he might think of you mentoring me without asking him first?" Nadia said knowingly.

"M-mentor-?" Peter gawked at the word.

"Well… You're technically showing me the ropes to being a vigilante." It was Nadia's turn to shrug. "Stark is a genius and the most curious and nosy person ever. You're his protégé. He'd want to know about anyone working so closely with his protégé. He'll definitely find out about me soon enough, whether you tell him or not."

Peter didn't know it, but the young woman and the billionaire had agreed- they wouldn't let the teen know that Tony had been the first to approach Nadia with the notion of watching over the Spiderling by being his partner.

The teenager would definitely feel like he was being babysat if he found out. It would be a blow to both his pride and confidence in himself.

"Do- do you think I should tell him?" Peter stared at his phone, twiddling his thumbs nervously. He hadn't reported in to Happy the _whole week_ he started patrolling with Nadia. The man may have been relieved to get a break from Peter's daily recounting of mostly mundane events, but Happy would probably think it weird if the man really thought about it.

Peter sent a report almost every day after he first got his new suit… If he did mention the mentoring thing, it would give Happy a good reason for the delay… but then...

Happy would tell Mr. Stark and then Mr. Stark would definitely start digging for info about who his new partner was. After everything she'd done for him, he wanted to respect her wishes to stay mostly in the shadows. Being involved with someone like Mr. Stark put you in the spotlight.

Also, if he did tell Happy or Mr. Stark himself, Nadia would have a chance to filter some of the information she wanted to give away.

"I trust whatever decision you make Peter." The young woman said serenely.

The teenager looked at the blue robed figure beside him. Nadia stood at the edge of the building, head tilted as she enjoyed the rays of the setting sun on her face, her eyes closed.

"Just keep Nadia Capelli separate from my shadow." She reminded.

Peter nodded to himself, hopping down to the building's fire escape to make the call. "Hey Happy!..."

The teen was connected to the man's voicemail. Nadia listened to Peter as he began telling his handler about what he did during patrol, the lady who gave him the churro, sans her tagging along, until…

"So… Happy…" Peter gulped and breathed deeply to steel himself before continuing, "Maybe there've been some r-rumors or some-something, but I kinda- sorta started mentoring… well… I'm not really _mentoring_ someone. You could say I f-found someone like… like me- not that she has spider powers! I mean… I mean like me in a way that she has certain powers- Wha?!" The teen's sputtering was interrupted when Nadia landed beside him and grabbed his phone.

"Spiderboy here found a magic user, _me_. We're sort of working together. He's showing me the ropes of being a vigilante in Queens. Hope you don't mind." Right after giving the explanation, she handed Peter back his phone.

He sighed in relief and a bit of embarrassment that he wasn't able to actually tell Happy himself.

"Okay! So… yeah! That's the gist of it, I guess… So this is Peter, by the way. Parker. And yeah… Don't be mad, but she knows who I am…." The teen trailed off as he quickly ended the call. The white lenses of his mask were wide in realization.

"Oh man… Happy didn't need to know that you know my identity! Now they might think you're a threat or something! I'm- I'm so sorry! I screwed up-!"

"Hey, Peter." Nadia put her hands on his shoulders to calm him. "Stark trusts you with a suit, I think he'll trust your instincts about picking a partner. If he does start asking questions, I'm a big girl. Don't worry about me, because I can handle myself too. Got it?" She bent down her head slightly to look him straight in the eye... or in this case, the wide white lenses of his mask.

"Okay…" Peter breathed in deeply before meeting the blue glowing gaze in front of him. After a moment, he looked away and scratched at the back of his neck. "Thanks for- for… you know… trus-trusting me too."

Nadia just smiled when the quiet moment was interrupted by a group of voices and the sound of a door busting open.

"Finally, something good." Peter said, spotting several men breaking into a bank. He looked up at Nadia, and she could almost see the pleading in his eyes despite the white lenses covering them. "Can I?"

"All yours, Spiderboy." She chuckled, putting her hands up. "I'll be back up only if you need it."

She watched from an alley just across the road while Peter entered the bank. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw the robbers cut through an ATM machine with a laser and pull it out with another device that emitted a blue glow. She was starting to get worried but was momentarily distracted when she saw Peter casually lean on the wall with one hand.

The dorky pose and the ease with which the teen was dispatching the robbers made her chuckle, but her mirth was quickly cut short when one of the masked men used an antigravity device on Peter to slam him into the floor and ceiling.

Spider-man had his arm extended, but his forearm flicked uselessly, no webs shooting forward.

"Crap." Nadia moved. _That_ was the faint beeping she had heard earlier. Peter's web shooters were empty. He would probably find a way to take the robbers down without his webs, but their advanced weaponry worried her.

She muttered an incantation while she opened a portal into one side of the bank. Through it, she launched several shots of magic to knock down the one trapping Peter. The antigravity beam stopped, and Peter landed on the floor. With a word, Nadia erected a barrier to give the other vigilante just enough time to refill his shooters. The wall of magic went down, and Peter used his webs to subdue the robbers who were repeatedly trying to try and attack the two heroes. Nadia didn't see the need to interfere again as Peter was quick to handle the situation.

Only when one of them tried to activate another antigravity field, Nadia knocked him to the side while Spider-man webbed the device to the glass door.

"So how did guys like you get tech like this?" Peter curiously pulled at the man's mask.

There was a distinct hum of something charging when the two looked to see another man on the floor activate his laser.

Peter panicked. "No! Wait! Wait!-"

They both dodged and watched in horror as the destructive beam cut through the walls of the bank, then through deli across the street, a small explosion blowing out the side.

Nadia recognized the place as Peter's regular sandwich stop when he rushed over to the ruined building. She would have stayed to subdue the criminals, but she looked at the fire in the bodega worriedly. It looked to be getting bigger. Quickly, she built up magic in her hands and knocked the robbers down with a wide blast, hoping they'd stay down long enough as she also ran to the deli.

While Peter helped the owner and his cat out, Nadia muttered an incantation to douse the flames before they could spread.

The older man, Mr. Delmar, was coughing and leaning on a post, Spider-man had a steadying hand on his shoulder. Nadia stepped out and held out a hand, asking for permission. "You inhaled a bit of smoke. May I?"

"S-Sure…" The man croaked a little apprehensively before he let out another string of coughs. Nadia put one hand just above his chest and placed the other between his shoulder blades.

"Just relax, and try to breathe normally, okay?" The blue robed vigilante said gently. Delmar nodded silently in reply.

Her hands glowed as she muttered a minor healing incantation.

A crash sounded across the street as a sign fell. "Oh come on…" Spider-man muttered as he looked back to the bank. It was empty. The robbers were gone.

In the distance, the wail of sirens could be heard. "We need to go." Peter intoned. Police would pull in a lot of attention that Nadia didn't want.

The young woman glanced up at Peter, her hands still occupied with healing.

"Go on. I just need a minute to finish up here."

"Oh-Okay." He placed the fluffy cat in his arms next to a grateful looking Mr. Delmar. For a moment, Peter glanced at Nadia, who looked both somewhat ghostly and ethereal at the same time from the blue glow of her magic.

"Get a move on, Spiderboy." She glared at him through the blue glow of her mask, urging him on.

"R-Right. Right!"

* * *

Something in Peter's chest tightened when Happy told him the news.

The Avengers were relocating somewhere upstate.

"What about me?" He hated how he he'd let his feelings bleed into the sentence and made him sound almost whiny.

 **::What about you?::** Happy said flatly.

The weight on his chest increased. "What if Mr. Stark needs me or something… or-or I don't know… something big goes down? Can I please just talk to Mr. Stark?" Maybe the billionaire would take his word more seriously.

 **::Look. Just stay away from anything too dangerous. Besides won't you be busy with your trainee?::** Happy deflected.

"Trainee? Oh, right!" Peter felt somewhat anxious at the thought that Happy already listened to the voice message he had left earlier.

 **::Yeah, kid. You've made my job twice as hard without asking Tony first. He's all for it though, so now I have two of you to worry about. Now I'm responsible for making sure you're both responsible, okay? Hopefully having to look after someone else will help.::**

"Hey! I'm responsible!- Oh no. It's that time already?" The teen muttered when he felt his phone vibrate and saw a message from his aunt and noted the numbers on the corner of his phone screen.

 **::You better get going, kid. It's getting late."**

"Listen, I'll call you back."

 **::Feel free not to.::** Happy said before ending the call.

Peter sighed, leaning his arms on the short wall on the edge of the rooftop he was on. He was frustrated that Happy still treated him like he was a kid and that he didn't get to talk to Mr. Stark.

He heard Nadia's silent footsteps behind him, but he didn't turn around. "Is Mr. Delmar alright?" He asked a bit mechanically.

"Yeah. He's fine. Just after I left, some paramedics arrived and gave him some oxygen." She reported, leaning on the wall beside Peter.

"G-good. That's good then." He said softly.

Nadia noticed how Peter sounded a bit down. She took off her mask before speaking again. "Hey. Is everything okay?" Nadia looked at him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

The teen was silent for a few moments before he pulled his mask off and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess- I guess I'm just a little frustrated. Happy just brushed me off. And… I just found out that the Avengers are moving upstate." He complained.

"Peter, don't be so down. Happy's always grumpy. Unlike Tony, he hasn't really seen you in action, so he might not be as convinced about you like Stark is. You just need to give it time." Nadia gave the boy a side hug. "And upstate is just a few hours away by car. It'll be a snap for Iron Man to use his suit and fly to Queens if he really needs you for something important. If it's an emergency, I can even portal you there." Nadia didn't mention that she'd need a hint to the facility's actual location to open an accurate portal, but he didn't need to know right now.

Peter nodded, looking somewhat thoughtful of Nadia's words.

"Now, you're running late. Here's your backpack." She had conjured a small portal, reaching through it and pulling out Peter's bag.

"You don't have enough time to swing home without May starting to worry. I'll portal you to your apartment's rooftop. May might see the sparks if I portalled you straight to your room." The young woman began opening another larger portal.

Peter slipped on his backpack. "Thanks, Nadia."

"Of course, Peter." She smiled widely. "Those guys barely hit you in the bank, so you're fine for your solo patrol tomorrow. I, on the other hand, have a baking order I have to take care of."

"Sure I'm fine!" Peter jumped and was bouncing on his feet to prove he was okay. He was glad that Nadia didn't feel like benching him too. The teen gave Nadia one last grin before stepping through the portal she'd conjured to his rooftop.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I think this is the longest chapter I've written for this story so far. It sets up how Peter and Nadia's hero dynamic will work and affects some Homecoming events slightly, so we'll see how it goes. This story is taking a life of its own. I am not in control of where it goes now._**

 ** _And, just a question, do you guys really see something happening Peter and Nadia other than just a sibling sort of relationship? Some people have asked, and I sort of expected the question, but I don't really see sparks. However, ever since the suggestion came up, I have been seeing moments here and there, even if I didn't mean them that way... anyway, as for their relationship, like I said, I don't really have control, we'll see how it goes._**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Thanks again to everybody who read and reviewed, namely: .2017, UnknownKei, BloodyMorningStar, and ImagiTheNation. Special thanks to those who answered my question about Nadia and Peter's current relationship. Thanks so much for your input. This question may come up again later on. Anyway... On with the story!**_

 _ **Brace yourselves for Ned! Enjoy~  
**_

* * *

 **Peter: I messed up. BIG TIME.**

Nadia just stepped through a portal to her apartment when her phone buzzed. It had barely been two hours since she and Peter separated. She wondered what could have happened in such a small time frame.

Immediately, she called Peter. The other line only rang twice before he answered.

"What do you mean 'messed up'?" The young woman asked before the teenager could say anything, making sure her tone was concerned and not angry. She knew that Peter would ramble if she let him lead the conversation.

 **::Ned found out, Nadia!::** His voice was a harsh whisper. **::He found out I'm Spider-Man.::**

"How?" She asked plainly, cutting in to help keep his answers short and to the point.

 **::He saw me sneak into the apartment while I was still in costume.::**

Nadia raised an eyebrow, "You didn't change before going in?" She asked, confused.

 **::He came over tonight, and I think I might have been a bit distracted at school when he talked about it. He was sitting on the lower bunk, I didn't see him.::**

"Oh boy…" Nadia didn't know what else to say.

 **::He's going to ask all these questions at school tomorrow. I just know it.::** He said, defeated.

"Peter, I know it seems bad right now, but it might be a good thing."

 **::A g-good thing? H-How can it b-be a-::**

"Breathe, Peter." She said sternly. Nadia was glad the next few moments were silent except for his breathing. "A little slower." It took a minute for the raspy sound of hyperventilation turn into slow, shaky breaths. "Ned is your best friend. Isn't it a good thing that you won't have to keep such a big part of your life from him anymore? That you don't have to lie or make excuses?"

 **::I-I guess… Keeping everything from him always made me feel guilty.::**

She heard the sound of him let out one big breath of air, as though conceding. :: **You're right. I'm just a bit worried about Ned. You know how- how enthusiastic and excited he can get.::**

"Ah." Nadia nodded in understanding even if he couldn't see her. "You definitely have a bit of a challenge there. It's a good thing you've calmed down then. All I can say is good luck." There was a tone of finality in her statement.

 **::N-Nadia! Wait!-::**

"I can't really give you any advice, Peter. You can handle it, I'm sure. You know Ned after all, not me." She laughed.

 **::Nadia…::**

"Get some sleep, Spiderboy. You'll need it for tomorrow."

 **::O-Okay… Okay.::**

Nadia chuckled and ended the call. She knew if she kept talking to Peter about the situation, he would start overthinking and just get more nervous.

She understood his nerves though. Ned was very excitable.

* * *

"So who's the new hero you're working with? I saw the security cam video on Youtube. Whoever they are, did you notice they've been following you for a while already?" Ned asked as they walked to school. "There've been pictures of Spider-man with a weird shadow or blur recently. Some people think it's like in those Final Destination movies where there's some kind of grim reaper or omen that someone is about to die."

"It's not my secret to share, Ned. It'll be all up to her-"

"Dude! The newbie's a _her!?_ " Ned exclaimed. "You can't really tell from the pictures, because she's always a blur or a shadow. In the video, she just rushed in, then you can barely see her in a corner of the frame."

* * *

Throughout the day at school, in different classes, Ned continued to pepper Peter with questions about his powers, the Avengers, and occasionally, Nadia.

 **Spanish**

"What are her powers exactly?"

"Magic."

"Whoah! Like Harry Potter magic? Does she use a wand? What's the core? Unicorn hair? Ooh! Or dragon's heartstring! Does she make potions like Snape? Or is it Gandalf magic?"

* * *

 **History**

"Did she like ask to be your sidekick?" Ned whispered.

"No. She's not my sidekick." Peter said firmly. "She's my partner."

"Like Batman and Wonderwoman? What's her superhero name by the way?"

"She hasn't decided yet."

"It should be something like Shadow, or maybe Wraith. She looks like a ghost, plus the whole reaper thing on the internet. Circe could work. It's the name of the Greek goddess of magic."

* * *

 **Math**

"Do you two like have attack strategies and stuff?"

"Not really. We haven't worked together long."

"You should have like attack form delta or cool code words like that!"

* * *

 **Chemistry**

"Is she pretty?"

"Wh-What?!" Peter hissed, his face turning red. He was saved from giving an answer by the teacher who called the two teens' attention.

Ned still got his answer from his friend's blush and stuttering reaction, his mouth forming an 'O' followed by a silly grin.

* * *

 **Gym**

"Is she one of the Avengers?"

"No."

"Is she like Tony Stark's long lost daughter? She's dark haired. Or maybe the Winter Soldier's? He has black hair right? She used magic in that video though, I bet she's Asgardian. Oh my God! Dude, she's not Loki's daughter is she?!"

"Ned, no! Shhhh." Peter shushed. His friend's speculations were getting a bit out of hand.

It was after coach Wilson passed by them that they heard Liz and a group of her friends gossiping on the bleachers.

"Well, what about the Spider-man?"

That earned the two teenage boys' rapt attention.

"Didn't you see that security cam video on Youtube?" He fought off like four guys!" Liz said, her tone full of admiration.

"But with the help of another hero." Someone spoke up.

"I think the other guy was just back-up. He barely did anything in that fight, and Spider-man took care of the robbers." Liz argued.

"Oh my gosh… She's defending him. She's crushing on Spider-man!"

"No way!"

Liz shrugged, smiling. "Kinda…"

The others speculated that he might be some totally burned, older guy.

Liz simply said that it wouldn't matter to her, because what was important was the person on the inside.

"Peter knows Spider-man!" Ned blurted out so loud, everybody in the gym heard and stopped what they were doing.

Peter closed his eyes for a split-second. He'd prepared himself mentally for Ned's onslaught of questions, but there was no way he could have prepared himself for this.

Panic set in and he hurriedly stood up to try and explain.

"Ah-No. A-Actually…"

He wished Nadia was here. Maybe she did know some Harry Potter magic and could obliviate everyone in the gym.

* * *

 ** _A/N: A bit short, but the next one will be much longer. Again, drop a review on your thoughts, suggestions, and constructive criticism. They really fuel my drive to write and publish sooner rather than later._**

 ** _Another question, some authors assign actors/actresses to their OCs. Is there anyone in particular you see playing Nadia?_**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Here's a much longer chapter to compensate for the last one being so short. Thanks again to everyone who read and added this story to their alerts. Any answers for my previous question? Anyway... On with the story. Enjoy!~**_

 _ **LoveFiction2017: I'm glad you still do. I really appreciate you leaving a review every chapter. You're great!**_

* * *

 **Ned: Liz invited me and Peter  
to a party at her house!**

Nadia was surprised. Why wasn't Peter the one texting her this? A thought later and she chuckled. The teenager was probably still freaking out slightly.

 **Nadia: You know, I'm actually going  
there tonight too. Liz ordered  
some cupcakes for her party.**

 **Ned: What kind?**

 **Nadia: That's a surprise. :)**

She typed out the text and sent it to Ned before getting back to wiping down a few tables. Her phone buzzed again, but she finished cleaning up and headed to the back room of the café before she read the text.

 **Peter: You're going to Liz's party?  
I thought you agreed to swapping  
patrols today?**

 **Nadia: I told Ned I'm delivering cupcakes.  
Don't worry, I'll be long gone before  
you even get there.**

 **Peter: Oh, ok.**

 **Nadia: It's going to be a party full of high  
schoolers. Why would I stay? **

Nadia chuckled before shooting one last text to Peter and getting back to work.

 **Nadia: Have fun. You deserve to relax  
after dealing with Ned the whole day.  
And talk to Liz!**

 **Nadia: The cupcakes are one of the recipes  
we made for the bake sale. I give  
you permission to share it. ;)**

* * *

Nadia prepped the cupcakes and tied them together, three boxes in each hand. She pulled up a Google street view of the address she was given on her phone. Since the party was in the suburbs, she could easily open a portal somewhere she wouldn't be noticed. The sun was just beginning to set when she arrived at the house. Knocking on the door, Nadia was greeted by the smiling face of a blonde haired girl.

"Hi!" The girl chirped.

"Hey. I'm Nadia Capelli and I brought over some cupcakes for Liz Allan." Nadia replied, holding up the boxes in her hands.

"Oh! Here, let me help you with that!" The blonde hastily took one set, before stepping back and calling over her shoulder, "Liz! The cupcakes are here!"

Nadia noticed that a few other students had already arrived and were loitering around the living room, hallway, and backyard.

There was a bit of shuffling and the familiar face of Peter's crush popped out from where Nadia assumed the kitchen was. "Nadia!" The younger girl smiled and rushed to the doorway, taking the second set of boxes from the older girl.

"Come inside! The pizza won't get here 'til a bit later, but we have some soda in the kitchen." Liz invited, stepping aside.

Nadia shook her head and gave an apologetic smile. "Oh no. I couldn't. Besides, I'd be a bit out of place with all of you kids." She chuckled.

"You make it sound like you're fifty." Liz laughed. "You can't be that much older than us, Nadia. Aren't you eighteen? Nineteen maybe?"

"Older, actually." Nadia grinned. Liz looked a bit surprised.

"Really?" She shrugged. "How much do I owe you again?" She asked while reaching a hand into her pocket. Her brow furrowed before she turned around. "Betty! Is my purse in the kitchen?"

"Hey." Nadia called Liz's attention. "Just give the payment to Peter. He can hand it to me tomorrow or I can get it from his aunt."

The girl seemed a bit unsure. "I'm not really sure if he's coming to the party, though. He's been a bit busy lately with his Stark internship. Ned mentioned he was thinking of quitting the school band." The same blonde girl from earlier appeared behind Liz, holding a purse. Betty gave Liz her bag and took the boxes of cupcakes in exchange.

"Really? I didn't know." Nadia frowned. One of the reasons she'd agreed to take turns going on patrol was so that Peter wouldn't feel the need to quit his extra-curricular school activities.

"You seem really close with Peter." Liz said casually as she pulled some bills from her wallet.

"Hmmm?" Nadia was pulled from her thoughts. She smiled fondly after a second. "Yeah. He deals with me badgering him into running a few errands every once in a while. He's sweet."

Liz paused while she counted the money before she handed it to the older girl with a smile. "I think it's nice he has someone else other than his aunt watching over him. He mentions you a lot during decathlon practice. That's how I remembered the cupcakes you sold during the bake sale a few months back. Thankfully, my mom still had your card."

"I think both he and Ned try to talk me up a little too much hoping they'll probably get a batch of pastries in return." Nadia just laughed. "Thanks again for ordering from me. Just shoot me a text again if you ever want to buy some cookies or brownies too." With that, she waved and started down the driveway. "Have a good party!"

"Thanks! And take care!" Liz waved back before going back inside. She left the front door open because a few more of her friends from school were walking up the driveway.

"Who was the college girl?" Flash Thompson asked as he poured himself some soda. "She was pretty."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Peter and Ned's friend."

He almost choked on his coke. "Y-You mean _she's_ Parker's babysitter?" He shook his head before saying disdainfully, "That's totally unfair."

Liz sighed and ignored Flash, pulling another pack of plastic cups from a cabinet.

* * *

Peter's nerves only grew worse as they drove up to the house in the suburbs. He would rather be training with Nadia or going on a split patrol with her rather than be here. Music was playing loudly in the background, and a lot of people were milling around.

"This was a mistake. Hey, let's just go home." He pleaded with May, but then she started lecturing, and he jumped out of the car not really wanting to hear more of how he was "flowering". He cringed at the word.

He felt like a hypocrite when he used to tell Nadia that she had a responsibility when it came to using her powers, yet here he was with his suit under his clothes. All for the sake of popularity.

His resolve to just be plain Peter Parker during the party was wavering, but he slowly conceded to his fate when May drove away and they walked up the path to the house. The decision was chipped at when he saw Liz and grew stronger when he thought about how disappointed Nadia would be. Peter began to argue with Ned about "spidering it up".

Whatever resolve he had to just be himself that night crumbled to dust when Flash called him that stupid name and started spewing taunts.

Before he knew it, he was on the rooftop of Liz's house, practicing what he would say when he showed up as Spider-man.

"God this is stupid…" Peter muttered to himself, running a hand over his face. "What am I doing?" He looked down at the living room, where Ned was looking around, waiting for him.

 _Responsibility._

Using the suit as a party trick was the absolute opposite of that word.

Happy already didn't take him seriously. If he found out, and he would with all the social media, that he made an appearance at a party as Spider-man, it definitely wouldn't help his case.

And Nadia… He wouldn't be able to face her. She was always understanding, but she would still be disappointed. Peter didn't want that. She was one of the only people who treated him like he could handle himself.

He was abruptly pulled from his thought when abrupt explosion caught his attention.

"The hell?..." He wondered to himself, pulling on his mask. He was just starting out to the site of the blast when his phone started ringing, Nadia's teasing face on the screen.

 **::Hey, Peter… I know you're at a party, but-::**

"I saw it." He huffed as he ran across a driving range, the sprinklers going off. "I'm on my way to check it out."

 **::You're on your way?::** There was a pause before Nadia came to a conclusion. **::You had your suit with you… Why would you?…::** She trailed off, suspicion in her tone. **::Nevermind… The priority is recon right now. That blast looked powerful, be careful. I'm on my way.::**

* * *

Nadia had conjured a portal based on her best estimations of where she'd seen the blast. Luckily, the explosion left a hum of energy in the air that she could track. The second blast that crackled through the air helped too.

She did her best to get to the site of the explosions as quick as possible, but when she got there, Peter was already getting dragged off by a van that seemed to be filled with weapons.

Thank the gods she'd practiced racing with Peter, otherwise, she would have been completely left behind. Chasing was not really something she was adept at.

"Spider-man!" She called after him as he was dragged down the street. She cringed every time he crashed into something.

The vigilante looked to the side and saw glimpses of Nadia sprinting and portalling every few seconds.

She'd tire herself out quickly if she kept it up.

When man inside started shooting at Peter, Nadia narrowed her eyes in determination. Not having enough time to levitate something as she kept following after the van, she conjured a large sphere of magic in one hand before launching it forcefully at the back of the vehicle.

The car jerked roughly, most of the sphere hitting the inside wall, but some magic making contact with the man holding the weapon. It disoriented him and made him lose his grip on the alien gun. It tumbled out and onto the street then into the yard of some house.

Peter continued to collide with trash cans as he was dragged on with the driver of the van steering erratically to try and shake the vigilante off.

It was then that Spider-man slammed forcefully into a small brick structure at the side of the road, making him let go of the line he had connected to the van. When he tried to attach another to the back of the vehicle, the door broke off.

"Great…" he said sarcastically, putting up his arms.

Nadia appeared beside him immediately, panting slightly. "I can't keep up a chase like this. I'll find a way to get ahead and make a barricade a few streets over."

"Okay, I'll take a short cut."

They shared a nod before they quickly went their separate ways, Peter leaping over an iron gate and Nadia once more portalling away.

The young woman had to conjure several more gateways before she put enough distance between her and the van to have enough time to start a barrier spell. The trap was just about ready when she heard Peter yell "Surprise!" as he leapt from the roof of a house. However, his voice was drowned out by the sound of what Nadia could only describe as the roar of engines.

The partially erected wall she was building dissipated as the van drove through it. She watched in horror as Peter was lifted high into the air too quickly for her to do anything but scream.

* * *

Peter struggled against the metal grip on his body, panicking at the height he was being carried to. Below him, he could barely make out the sparks of Nadia's magic as she tried to portal after him… Then, he was too far up to distinguish between the lights of the city and the signs of sorcery.

He couldn't fly. It wasn't a power he had. Even physically enhanced, a fall from this height meant that he would be dead. There was a series of beeps coming from his suit before he was dropped head first. A parachute deployed just as he started falling, tangling him in the material as he fell through the air.

Helplessly, he struggled, trying desperately to untangle himself. Panicked yells and panted breaths left his mouth.

He saw glimpses of the sky, the surrounding city, the blackness of water below him. He thought he saw wild flashes of green over the lake before the parachute blinded him again.

There was some relief in his mind that he would land in water, but a part of him knew that falling from over a thousand feet high, even into water, was like landing on solid concrete.

A warmth suddenly enveloped him, accompanied by a bright green glow that lasted a few seconds. His freefall seemed to slow. The next split-second, he hit something solid, though nothing close to what he expected.

He felt his body being re-positioned before there was a loud splash and he was surrounded by cold and darkness.

The plunge into water was a shock. He struggled again to free himself from the material of the parachute, however, the task was a thousand times harder under water. Helplessness was beginning to flood him as he continued to sink.

There was another bright flash of green and for a moment, a sound similar to rushing wind met his ears, before he was free of the parachute. The material was ripped to tiny shreds and was floating in pieces in the water around him. He swiped his hands frantically to clear his field of vision.

Even though his mind was a bit foggy from the lack of air, he had enough sense in him to grab hold of the white masked form that was being weighed down by her robes.

He held her arm tightly as they both kicked up towards the surface of the water, desperate for air.

Something dove in after them and the two would have attacked on reflex if they weren't so drained. It took a moment for them to process that it was Iron Man. The hero had the two vigilantes sandwiched together, back to back in its grip. Metal hands were secured underneath Peter's armpits and Nadia was behind the teen, arms clinging around Iron Man's neck.

They were set back down on top of a dome shaped jungle gym in what looked like a children's play area. Nadia immediately huffed and slid down to the ground, lying flat on the grass.

Peter would have panicked again, but Nadia put up one finger and groaned faintly. "Fine. Tired…"

She barely heard Peter recounting what happened, only to find out that he was talking to an empty suit.

 **::You should be thanking your little trainee and the fact that this place has WiFi, otherwise, you'd be toast.::**

Drifting in and out of semi consciousness, she caught snippets of the two arguing about taking down the man with the wings, the weapons dealers, and something about college.

The suit turned to Nadia, scanning her. **::Sabrina's vitals are stable, but it looks like she conked out.::**

"Wh-What?!" Peter hopped down to the ground and knelt next to where Nadia was splayed on the grass.

 **::Mr. Stark is no longer connected.::** A female voice reported.

Peter jumped up, "W-Wait!" he tried as the suit turned and flew off.

His shoulders dropped, "That's awesome…" He grumbled before turning back to Nadia's sleeping form. "H-Hey, Nadia…"

"Mmmm…"

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. He pulled off her mask gently, noticing that the right side was cracked.

"Just… just tired." She mumbled, eyes half opening. Peter was glad to see that her hazel orbs were mostly clear.

"Can you stand?"

"Mmmm…" She hummed softly in reply, holding out a hand which the teen used to pull her into a half sitting position.

"H-Hey, Nadia! S-Stay awake!" He raised his voice when he noticed she was leaning into him with her eyes closed again. She was still soaking wet from their fall into the lake. "We need to get you home." He whispered mostly to himself, noting how she was shivering. Unlike him, Nadia didn't have a heater in her robes. He shook her shoulder, relieved to see that it seemed to wake her up for the moment. "Can you conjure a portal?" She nodded tiredly.

It took longer than usual and the portals sparked out twice, but the third one was stable. Stevie was barking from her living room on the other side. Peter pulled Nadia's arm over his shoulder when she didn't make a move to stand on her own.

"I can walk…" The young woman complained, though her eyes were barely open.

"Sure you can." Peter chuckled, walking slowly through the gateway, grass turning into carpet. It was a good thing Nadia's apartment was somewhat warm compared to the playground.

"Couch… you need to get back." She ordered as firmly as she could, feeling exhausted.

He did as directed and set her down on the sofa. The teen looked at her a bit worriedly as she leaned her head back on the couch, sighing deeply.

"Just exhausted. Swear… Few minutes…" She made a rolling motion with her hand. "Go…"

"I will, but…" He walked to her bedroom first, then her bathroom, coming back with a one of her oversized shirts, flannel pants, and a large towel. He draped the shirt and pants on the back of the couch and the towel on Nadia's head, ruffling the cloth to absorb the water in her wet hair.

"Peeeeeterrr…" She slurred, putting her own hand on the towel and looking up at him with her eyebrows furrowed. "I can do it..."

He shook his head and continued drying her damp locks. Nadia gave up grumbling and just let him do as he wanted. After a minute, he stopped, pulling down part of the towel to around her shoulders. "Thanks… For-for you know… for catching me." There was a pause, and they were both still.

Nadia only smiled softly and nodded.

"I can do it." She repeated her earlier statement. "Go…" She swatted at his arm and weakly kicked the side of his leg toward the still open portal.

Peter put his hands up in surrender, taking a few steps back. "Stevie, make sure she dries off, okay boy?" The dog barked before jumping onto the cough and nudging his mistress with his nose and paws until she sat up. Her posture was incredibly slouched, but she still managed to glare at Peter. The heat of it was dampened by her drowned look and the fluffy purple towel wrapped around her head and shoulders.

Satisfied, Peter waved, smiling, and walked back through the portal.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Thoughts? Comments? Answers to my previous question? (Is there any specific actress you see playing Nadia?) Even I don't really have a sure answer. I'll tell you guys in the next chapter if I do. Or do you want me to keep her appearance to the imagination of the reader?_**

 ** _Anyway, I'm thinking of doing another Capelli family background chapter next. Is there anyone in particular you want to see? Renny (Nadia's grandmother), Anya (Nadia's mother), or younger Nadia? Your input is very valuable to me. If you have any suggestions, I'm open._**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Another chapter with Capelli family history. More on Renny though... Just a little break before getting on with the next chapter of the Homecoming plot. :) Enjoy~  
**_

 _ **Guest: Thank you very much for your input! I actually only see Nadia and Peter as siblingish right now, so it just might stay that way. Your request for more of Nadia's grandmother has been granted!**_

 _ **LoveFiction2018 : thanks again for dropping a review. I'm super grateful that you've dropped one every chapter so far! I hope that you like this chapter too.**_

 _ **Reena: Capelli family bonding will most likely be in a later chapter of the family history, but don't fret, it is coming. :)**_

 _ **QueenofEpic: I think that it would actually be interesting too. I might end up writing up two endings for this story where they do and don't get together.**_

* * *

Renny couldn't believe it. It worked. It really worked.

When she'd found a newspaper and really looked, it didn't take her long to find an article about Howard Stark. The article wasn't plastered all over the front page, but it was still there. It looked like Tony's father was still gaining traction in the scientific world.

"From another world, you say?" The question was voiced in modulated tones. "And you believed it best to seek me out?"

Renny just nodded. She still couldn't believe it worked- what she did to get here. It was laughably simple.

When she found more proof that she really was in the Marvel universe, she had thought about her options.

Approaching Howard Stark wasn't really a choice, she didn't have the smarts to catch his attention. Bucky and Steve were still children- their parents would never really let them interact with some street urchin. She was a fifteen-year-old street girl with no connections whatsoever, she'd already tried getting some kind of job for the past month to no avail. Her chance of survival if she fended for herself was slim.

Who would be willing to house a teenager who had no records? Who could she talk to without them immediately assuming that she was crazy? Someone who believed in parallel worlds and alternate dimensions, possibly magic and the manipulation of time...

She took a chance and went to New York City. It was 1927. Did the place even exist here yet?...

 ** _177A Bleecker Street_**

To her amazement and sheer relief, it was there. She was frozen in front of the building for several long moments as she took it in. The large, round glass window she could see on the second floor. She took a deep breath before she walked up the steps, knocking on the door.

Her voice was so soft, but she didn't want to seem crazy to the passersby on the street who might hear her. "I need to speak with the Ancient One." When nothing happened for a minute, she added a little more desperately, "Please."

When sparks formed a circle beneath her feet, she held her breath and clenched her eyes shut, anticipating to fall like Loki, but there was only a rush of air and her feet never left the ground.

"You can open your eyes now." The voice was gentle.

Renny obeyed and found herself face to face with the Ancient one.

* * *

It was strange, sipping at tea while spilling her story to the woman in front of her. There was no one else in the receiving room while she talked.

"You say you come from a world that knows this world's future. How can you validate this?" The Ancient one asked at the end of Renny's tale.

"I… Can't you look into my memories or something?" The girl asked. "The things I know, the things I've seen… they won't happen for a long time yet. Years."

The woman hummed. "I could… but if what you say is true. It would be dangerous. Knowledge of the future is not something someone should have."

Renny nodded, realizing the fault in her suggestion. She thought again… before remembering something. She gulped nervously.

"If I told you something… Something that no one knows but you. Would it help?" The young girl said carefully.

The Ancient One eyed her. Those pale eyes were assessing her, making her shiver. "It would…"

Renny looked around, feeling paranoid that someone was listening in on them. The Ancient One smiled. "There is no one who will hear."

The girl took a deep breath. "You're old… No one really knows how old you are or how many centuries you've lived. The reason you've lived so long... The reason you're immortal… is because you draw your power from the dark dimension."

The woman's smile turned into a blank expression. "Have you come here to blackmail me with this knowledge and your knowledge of the future?"

"NO! That's not it!" Renny gasped and put her hands up. After a moment, she sat down, shoulders slightly hunched. "The whole time I was wandering the streets of Brooklyn, I thought that God made a mistake sending me back in time. I didn't have any idea what I was supposed to do. So I spent a month just wandering like a hobo. The day I met that little boy… Meeting Bucky changed everything…" She paused and took a breath.

"When I learned the truth of where I was, I found a purpose. I know all these things about the future. So far in the future that I'll probably die before I see anything happen." She straightened then, "I might be here because I need the time. I went looking for you because I think you're the one person who can help me. You're my best chance at preparing."

The Ancient One tilted her head in curiosity. "Preparing for what?"

Renny did her best to match the intensity of the woman's gaze, her own having the fire of determination.

"The future."

* * *

The Ancient one was not sure what to make of the girl who knocked at the door of the New York sanctum. However, she recognized the fire in the little one's eyes, her sense of purpose, the urge to protect and the sincerity of her words. Though the Sorcerer Supreme did not fully believe the girl's story, she sensed her potential.

Which is why the Ancient One decided to train Renny. She would be one of the youngest to start.

That was how she got her first proof of the girl's story.

The little one had an affinity for magic that was almost unnatural… rather, it was _too_ natural. She immediately grasped the use of the sling ring to open portals, which often took even the best novice a few tries.

When it came to spells- harnessing the power from other dimensions to make magic… It was apparent that she drew in too much power. Like a river without a dam, it rushed through her without any control. The girl's magic, unlike spells that produced golden sparks, was white- a combination of all the colors.

Renny's first spell almost killed her and the backlash injured several other novices and the instructor in her class.

When the Ancient One assessed the state of the girl, she was surprised to discover how easily _any_ extra-dimensional power flowed through her. Even she as the Sorcerer Supreme had to exert conscious effort, however minimal, to pull power from other worlds. The little one attracted power to her, even unconscious.

This was why the Ancient One had searched through the artifacts and relics within the sanctums and Kamar Taj to find something to help the girl control the flow.

One week later, Renny had woken up in her assigned room with a pair of wide bronze bangles on her arms.

"I am glad to see you are awake." The Ancient One looked at her kindly, though her smile was a bit grim.

Renny sat up with some difficulty, feeling sore. "What happened?" She croaked, worry growing in her chest when she saw the woman's expression.

"Magical backlash. You nearly killed yourself and hurt several others."

"How?" The girl asked, scared and bewildered. "It was just my first try. I shouldn't have been able to use that much power… And I was perfectly fine with making portals with a sling ring, what was different?"

The Ancient One sighed, nodding at the other robed figure in the room. When the other person left, she turned back to the girl.

"I did not truly believe you at first… but… this incident may have helped to prove that you did come from another world."

Renny opened her mouth to say something, but the woman continued.

"You said that you are not sure how you were pulled into this one."

"No..."

"I believe that however you came to be here exposed you to energies of numerous other worlds. That exposure altered your body's magical pathways to let them flow through you easily. This means that you also unconsciously pull in these energies to yourself. Like a river without a dam, your body has no barriers."

"Is that what this is for?" Renny ran her fingers over the wide metal bands over her forearms.

"Yes. An artifact of Kamar Taj, the Vambraces of Vishanti. I believe this answers your previous question. When conjuring portals, the use of the sling ring helps to control and focus your magic for the one, specific purpose of conjuring a gateway. However, when it came to trying your first spell, you only had your body as a medium. You did not have any magical tool or artifact to assist you."

Renny nodded, getting the gist of it. The Ancient One continued.

"These vambraces block any and all magical energy from entering your body. Unfortunately, its potency can only be adjusted by the user. You will need to learn to modulate the energies you pull to you yourself. It will be tedious, but you must find a way."

"It's that bad?" The girl gulped.

The Ancient One nodded solemnly. "You either learn and someday even part from the artifact, or you don't use magic at all and cut yourself off from any mystical energy, lest it slowly kill you."

The woman sighed and stepped closer to the girl's bed. "That much power, allowing it to flow in your body without modulation- the magical buildup within you will heal any injuries you obtain. It will most likely keep you from getting ill as well… However, it will make your body weak."

Renny blinked, thinking about the time she spent on the streets. Even when she had experienced a night of bone chilling cold, or gotten soaked by the rain, she never got sick. But… there were times when she felt like she had no energy at all, or slept so long and so deeply but still felt somewhat tired afterwards.

"The use of the artifact will at least give your body moments of respite from these energies. I am not sure… but depending on the way you find to control it, it can either mean a shortened lifespan, or a lengthened one." The Ancient One intoned, pausing for a moment before she asked, "While you are still learning however, you will increase the possibility of more incidents like this. It may kill you. Will you continue on your quest to master magic?"

The girl remained quiet, and looked down at the grooves of the vambraces on her arm. "Yes." Renny chuckled forlornly before again looking at the Ancient One, "When can I get back to training?"

Spirit. This girl definitely had spirit.

"Tomorrow. If you feel you are up to it."

Renny nodded firmly, a determined, yet somewhat grim smile on her face.

So Renny continued her training in Kamar-Taj. She exercised her body practicing her martial arts with the other students, but when it came to the mystic arts, the Ancient one would take her on.

The woman would let the girl practice only in the mirror dimension, where any backlash would not hurt others, except maybe, the girl herself. However, because the Sorcerer Supreme was such a prominent figure, she could not let Renny monopolize her time, no matter how much the woman wanted to help. So their one-on-one sessions were a bit limited. More often than not, Renny found herself alone in an isolated courtyard when a master was not free to offer their guidance in place of the Ancient One herself.

Renny's first few years in Tibet were the hardest. Learning to control the Vambraces of Vishanti was taxing on her body. Her first months were spent in and out of the infirmary, with days, even weeks unconscious, depending on the extent of another incident of magical backlash. It was only after ten months of tedious training that she gained control of the artifact enough to allow a trickle of extra-dimensional energy in without completely deactivating the artifact or letting too much magic in that would cause herself harm. She could perform spells now, though her range was very much limited.

She still grew tired easily, though not as much as before, so she spent her down time in the library, scouring for the spells she would need for her plan.

When her control on the vambraces grew strong enough, she discovered she could now access the astral dimension. Using a trick she learned from Dr. Strange, she studied in her astral form while her body rested.

* * *

"You are advancing much in your studies, little one. And your grasp on the mystical arts continues to improve slowly but surely." The Ancient One said calmly as the two sipped tea in the receiving room of Kamar-Taj.

"I'm not such a little one anymore." Renny chuckled, running a hand through her much longer hair, before sighing. "I've really learned a lot here, and I thank you, but I've only found clues to what I need."

The woman looked at her curiously. "Oh? You've read through almost every book in the library."

"Not every book…" Renny answered softly. The woman looked at her slyly, and the girl knew that the Sorcerer Supreme knew what she was looking for. "The Book of Vishanti."

The Ancient One looked at Renny sternly, placing down her cup of tea.

"I know it's a big request. But I think it might have the answers I need. The spells I need." Renny tried.

"The book has been passed down among the Sorcerers Supreme throughout the ages. What makes you think that I will allow you to simply browse it? In the years that you have spent as a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, you have proven your loyalty and your desire to protect this world… but you have never told me of your plans in depth. Do not think I am ignorant to the time you've spent in the mirror dimension experimenting with runes and trying to create your own spellwork in secret."

Renny fidgeted, a little cowed by the Ancient One's tone. That was true… She'd never told anyone of her plans because the thought of someone finding out what she knew...

But… she looked at the woman sitting in front of her. The Ancient One had trusted her and helped her every step of the way. Gifting her with the Vambraces of Vishanti, granting her asylum in Kamar-Taj and training in the mystic arts.

"You are afraid…" The woman stated plainly.

"Yes." The girl whispered and took a deep breath… If she couldn't trust the Ancient One, who could she trust? She could not do this alone. "If I show you what I know, at least part of it… If I can convince you… Will you help me?"

The Sorcerer Supreme looked to be deep in thought. The weight of knowing anything about the future was always burdensome. The girl was also terrified of letting anyone else know of her knowledge. Whatever she saw… it would burden her as well.

"Very well…" The woman conceded. "Know however, that if I sense that anything is amiss, if I find out that you are lying, you will never ask about the book again."

Renny gulped. "Agreed."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Thoughts? Comments? Is Renny turning Mary Sue? ahaha... that's always what I'm worried about. My characters turning Mary Sue. Next chapter will move on with the Homecoming plot._**

 ** _I'm also getting mixed requests whether Peter and Nadia end up romantically involved. I'm a little on the fence on that decision, however I'm a little bit more for the sibling bond. If I do get enough requests for them ending up together though, I will most likely write an AU or alternate ending to this story. :D_**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: I didn't expect this. I really didn't. I'm having entirely too much fun with this tangent, which explains the super quick update. This chapter still focuses on Renny. I swear though, the next chapter will get back to the Homecoming plot.  
**_

 _ **Thank you again to all those who reviewed.**_ _ **Little-Miss-Anime-Luva, BloodyMorningStar, Reena.**_

 _ **I'm glad you liked the chapter with Renny and the Ancient One. I was a bit worried I didn't get the Sorcerer Supreme's character right.**_

 _ **Anyway... On with the story.**_

* * *

 **1932 - Kamar-Taj**

After that… After she'd shown the Ancient One a glimpse of the future. Of the coming Titan… The Sorcerer Supreme disappeared for several days.

That had terrified Renny more than anything. Had she unintentionally turned away the _only_ person who could possibly help her?

She panicked when the Ancient One didn't return two days later. The whirl of her emotions made her control slip and she became practically useless with spells. To stave off the feeling of helplessness, she pored her time going over the books in the library again. Maybe she had missed something…

It was on the eighth day when she jolted awake on a library desk that she turned to see the Ancient One looking at her, a hand on her shoulder. Renny didn't know what to say. She wanted to apologize, but the woman spoke before she could.

"You showed me barely a glimpse of your knowledge, and already it has proved a burden on my mind. I can only imagine what weight you must feel crushing your shoulders." The woman's eyes seemed tired, but she showed no other outward indication. She sighed, standing straighter, pulling her shoulders back and talking with the authority and power that Renny was used to hearing.

"I will give you access to the Book, but _only_ under my supervision. It _will not_ leave the library. Whatever notes you make, you can store them only in your mind. _None_ of it will be written down." Renny could only nod while sparks revealed a hidden doorway in the wall. As she followed after the Ancient One's trailing robes, she prayed that her memory and her grasp of the mystic arts were good enough to master the spells that she needed. She was no Stephen Strange, after all. She didn't have his incredible intelligence or his photographic memory.

* * *

Access to the Book of Vishanti _did_ give Renny the spells she needed, however, she still needed to learn them properly. Not being able to take down notes made things incredibly slow going. Yes, she could practice as much as she wanted on her own, but she could only correct herself if something went wrong when the Sorcerer Supreme corrected her, or when she had the chance to look through the book again.

It took several more months for her to grasp the major spells, and many more to modify and perfect them for her specific use.

All in all, she had spent almost eight years in Kamar-Taj before she requested her leave.

The Ancient One nodded, putting her hands once more on Renny's shoulders.

"You will need to search for a proper place to construct your sanctum. In this endeavor, I cannot help you. My place is here, in Kamar-Taj." The woman then turned and looked out to the horizon where the sun was just beginning to rise.

"Thank you." Renny's voice shook. The Ancient One was more than a teacher to her. In a world where she had lost everything and everyone she knew, the woman had become a sort of grandmother to her. "I would _never_ have been able to get this far without you. God knows, I would have probably died some time ago if you didn't help me." The girl's smile was watery, but she dared not turn to the Sorcerer Supreme, only keeping her eyes forward as well.

"You are most welcome. I thank you as well for what warnings you were able to give. There will be many dark times to come, but knowing that you will be doing what you can to protect those who will stop it, it brings me peace." The woman let out a slow breath, Renny thought it was meant more to calm her than the Ancient One. "You have come far, but there is still so much further to go… so much to do, and you may not even see the end. Take care, little one." The woman's pale eyes flicked to the girl for a moment before tracing the mountain range again. "Kamar-Taj will always be open to you. Just so you know… Try to visit at least once… before the end."

Renny choked on a sob, and felt the tears gather at the corners of her eyes, ready to spill. She didn't have the heart to even comment on the nickname this time. "Of course I will…" She managed to whisper hoarsely before moving to unclasp the vambraces on her arms. She'd gained enough control without the artifacts over the years, even if her spells were incredibly taxing without them, she would manage with some difficulty.

"Keep them." The Sorcerer Supreme said simply. "You are aware, they would have never worked if they did not choose you in the first place. They are yours. To help you in your quest."

A quick nod, and Renny conjured a portal to New York and stepped through before her tears could slip down her face. She knew that a moment longer standing beside the woman who she considered a grandmother, she might not build the courage to leave again for a long time. The girl could not stop herself from looking back though.

The smile on the Ancient One's thin lips was wistful. When the portal dissipated a second later, Renny collapsed onto her knees and sobbed, letting her tears flow.

She couldn't deny the feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her that that was the last time she and the Sorcerer Supreme would see each other.

* * *

 **1943 - Belgium**

"Think she's comin', Steve?" Bucky said, loading his rifle.

"Can't see why not. If she showed up all the way at the Hydra base for you, of course she'll be at the raid." Steve answered, strapping his shield to his back.

"Who you talkin' about there, Cap?" Gabe Jones piped up.

Steve and Bucky shared a look and a sly smile.

"Just a friend." They answered.

It had been over eight years since they first saw her… Well, since Steve first saw her anyway. Bucky swears that he'd seen her somewhere before.

The girl who showed up like a fairytale. Because what other word could there be for her? A girl who'd barely aged the whole time they knew her (she always looked to be nineteen, maybe twenty or so), the way she appeared a disappeared in a blur or flash of sparks.

* * *

 **1936 - Brooklyn**

When Steve was being bullied, seeing her face or the glint of her wide bronze bangles at the corner of the alley meant that help was coming. She would lead Bucky to him, or some other adult who would chase away the bullies.

When Bucky and Steve went on a double date and Bucky would spend too much on his dame, they would see glimpses of her as they walked home, their path completely safe.

The two young men spent quite some time keeping quiet about the girl they both thought was part of their imagination until they both came to the revelation that they both saw the _same_ girl.

Bucky was flipping through one of Steve's sketch books when he noticed a recurring sketch of a familiar face.

"You've seen this dame around town, Steve?" Bucky asked innocently, wondering if maybe the girl flitting through his peripherals was based on some girl he had seen in passing.

"Uhhhh…" Steve scratched his head. "Not really. I just made her up... I think…" He added belatedly.

"Does she wear these bracelets on her arms?" Bucky asked intently, hoping to God that he wasn't being crazy.

"Like wide bronze bangles?" Steve asked, eyes widening.

There was a moment before Bucky continued. "Brown hair?"

"Grey eyes?" The blond confirmed.

"Well… I always thought they were a little more blue." Bucky chuckled.

"Gosh… I thought I was crazy." Steve breathed.

"You and me both, buddy."

Bucky ran a hand through his hair and Steve scrubbed a hand over his face, both relieved.

* * *

When the two had come to terms with the existence of the strange girl, they began to see her more often… rather, the _noticed_ her presence more. Among the faces of a crowd, in their classes and the library, in the reflection of a shop's glass window, or the glint of the wide bronze bands on her forearms disappearing around a corner.

They never saw more than extended glimpses of her, sometimes the occasional pause and smile before she disappeared again.

Oh, the two knew for sure she was there. There was always a tiny doubt niggling at the back of their minds though. They could never come close to her.

The night after Sarah Rogers funeral was the night that rule was broken. Steve had refused Bucky's offer to stay at his house. So they both stayed at Steve's for that night instead. The blond had been so caught up in mourning, who could blame him, he had missed paying his bills. Sometime in the middle of the night, the heat went out.

Renny had been watching them, knowing that grief sometimes made people do stupid or irrational things. She appeared in the dark apartment where the two had fallen asleep talking in the living room. She draped blankets over them, but when she felt just how cold the air was and saw Steve shiver in his sleep, she sighed.

"Silly boys…" She muttered, before casting a spell over the living room to make it warm. Again, she pulled the blankets to the two young men's chins, smiling fondly. "You're lucky you two have each other." After tucking the blankets securely around each of them, she walked around and checked that the windows were all secure.

The magic for the heating spell would need her energy to continue to produce warmth, so she had to stay there. She still didn't have a handle on casting remote spells or letting them absorb latent energy and magic instead. Already, she was feeling tired.

 _Long term spells_

 _Remote activation_

 _Modifying spells to be powered by latent magic_

Her list of things to practice was getting a bit long. Well... the best way to find out what she needed was through personal experience, right?

Extending the spell to the kitchen, she sat on the chair by the dining table. She'd leave before they woke up tomorrow.

Feeling the steady trickle of her magic, she rested her head on her folded arms, soon closing her eyes.

* * *

"Oh gosh! It's _her_ Buck! Wow… It's _really her_ …"

" _Shhh, Steve_. You'll wake her. Maybe I should bring her to your room? That doesn't look comfortable…"

…

"My room's _freezing_. It's weird, only the living room and the kitchen are warm. I think the heat went out."

"How can it be warm then? Think she did it?"

Renny felt herself being lifted into the air, but felt too tired and lazy to open her eyes. The new position was much more comfortable and she snuggled into her pillow.

"Oh, okay… wow… the dame's really warm."

"Like a _fever_?" The voice sounded concerned.

"No, she looks fine. She's just… _really_ warm." The hold on her shifted slightly and she snuggled further into her pillow. "Ow! Hey!"

" _Bucky_!"

Renny's eyes fluttered, and when she stretched and huffed, her feet were slowly and gently set on the ground. When her eyes finally opened and her vision cleared from the fog of sleep, she was met with the sight of the two young men she had been watching for the past year. They both stood with their hands up. Steve almost looked as scared as he was cautious, like a deer caught in headlights. Meanwhile Bucky tried his best to look at ease and assuring, a hesitant smile on his face. She tilted her head as she looked at them. Her mind was a bit slow this morning.

"Uhmmm…" Steve was at a loss for words.

Bucky said the first thing that came to mind. "Uh… Morning, Sunshine?"

Suddenly, it occurred to her that they were looking right at her… that they were _talking_ to her… That wasn't exactly part of the plan.

With a small squeak, she stepped back through a portal to the fire escape outside and snapped it shut the moment she was through.

"Wait!"

"Please!"

She heard the two boys scuffle inside.

"You scared her off!"

" _I_ scared her off?!"

"You didn't have to whack me on the _dang_ head!"

"Language!"

Renny immediately had to portal away before she ended up giving away her position with the laugh that was forcing its way out her throat.

* * *

"Well that proved for sure that we're not crazy…"

"Yeah…"

Bucky and Steve agreed as they both lay on the floor of Steve's apartment after their little tussle over their argument.

"Do you think she'll come back?"

"Now that she knows we've really seen her?" Bucky shrugged. "I don't know Steve. But if she's stuck with us this long… maybe. It's nice knowing we have a guardian angel watching our backs."

"Guardian angel, huh? Think that will help me enlist?" Steve smiled at his best friend.

Bucky chuckled, nudging Steve's arm with his elbow. "Let's go to Goldie's gym for a week or two. That'll help you enlist."

* * *

 ** _A/N: I am having so much fun with this trio. What do you think so far? I'm almost reluctant to go back to Peter and Nadia. I guess I just have to save another history chapter or two for after a few of the Homecoming ones. :)_**

 ** _Again, drop a review. I'm open to your thoughts, comments and suggestions._**

 ** _'Til Next Time~_**


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Long chapter... a lot of thoughts and dialogue though. I hope I didn't overdo it. Like I said, back to Homecoming for now. Thanks again to everyone who read, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts.  
**_

 _ **Little-Miss-Anime-Luva: I also loved the trio's interactions very much. I'm thinking of posting an accompanying story to this one, to really cover any misadventures the three have.**_

 _ **Thedetectiveinthephonebooth: I am so glad to hear that you love it, and for telling me exactly what you love about the story. It does a lot to keep me motivated. Bucky and Steve might make only a small appearance in this story later on, but I'm thinking of publishing an accompanying story to this one to really get into history and more moments with Renny and the two.**_

 _ **LoveFiction2018: Thanks so much for dropping another review!~ :D**_

 _ **Now on with the story~**_

* * *

 **Queens, Present Day**

"We should get some snacks and stuff for our stake out." Ned said, listing a few things in his head. Cheetos maybe… they definitely needed Cheetos.

"Technically, it's not a stake out, because we'll be camping in my room instead of in an unmarked cop car outside of the bad guy's evil lair." Peter rebutted.

Ned's list of snacks was pushed to the back of his mind. "Then… I guess it's more like… Batman tracking the Joker's movements on his computer in the Batcave." He nodded, satisfied. Peter just grinned.

"Yeah, I think that's a better analysis." He chuckled in response.

They grabbed a few bags of chips from a convenience store and were headed to the train station when they neared the café Nadia worked at.

"Oh! Do you think Nadia will treat us to some cake this time? She's been pretty busy lately. I miss her walnut fudge cookies." Ned said as the two looked through the café's large glass window. The young woman's shift would be finished in about fifteen minutes. She was usually wiping down tables, but they didn't see her. She wasn't at the cashier either.

Peter furrowed his brow. This wasn't like her. She'd usually meet him in front before patrols and tell him where she'd meet him for training. He walked in the café, approaching the old lady at the counter.

"Hi Mrs. Henderson. Is Nadia here?" Peter asked, glancing at the door to the back room, hoping that it would open and Nadia would just walk out.

"Hello there Peter!" Hannah Henderson smiled. "I'm sorry dear, but she called in sick today. It sounded like she had a bad cold, poor thing."

"Ah…" The boy nodded, now understanding why Nadia didn't reply to his earlier messages. She was most likely resting. "Thanks Mrs. Henderson." He frowned as he exited the shop, somewhat disappointed in himself. He should have noticed that something was off. His excitement about the glowy thingy took up most of his mind today.

"Is it her day off?" Ned asked, but his friend seemed a bit spaced out.

An idea popped into Peter's head when he spotted a quaint diner nearby.

"We should drop by her place before we head over to the apartment."

"Huh?" Ned noted how his friend used the word "should", which most likely meant that Peter had come up with the idea himself, and Nadia didn't ask him. "The bad guys might do something while we're there." The bigger teen reasoned.

"Fifteen minutes. I just need to check on her. She called in sick today and she hasn't replied to my texts." He jogged toward the diner and entered, glad there was chicken soup on the menu above the counter.

Ned followed him in and sat beside Peter just as he finished ordering the chicken soup to go.

"Dude, you'd make your future girlfriend happy if you did this kinds of stuff for her." Ned said in an offhand comment, turning in his stool as they waited.

"Wh- _What_?" Peter stuttered out.

Ned continued, "I mean… girl's like it when you just do these things for them, right? Buying soup for your sick girlfriend without her asking is probably considered a boyfriend thing, and you're doing it for Nadia. Imagine what you'd do for your _actual_ girlfriend?" Ned shrugged. "You should make notes, maybe it'll help _me_ get a girlfriend." When he looked at his friend, he noticed how Peter's face was turning pink, his hands fiddling with the straps of his backpack.

"Peter…" Ned gave his friend a look. "I know. I _know_ you said so before, but… You _sure_ you're _not_ crushing on Nadia?"

Peter's face turned crimson and the blush reached his ears. "Wh-What?! C-Crushing on Nadia? Nah. Pshhh… no, I-I'm not. I'm not. No…" His voice cracked at the end. "I like Liz." He coughed awkwardly and muttered a thank you to the guy who handed him a paper bag with his take out. Peter kept his head down while he and Ned approached Nadia's apartment building. Thoughts were rushing through his head a mile a minute, and he felt confused.

"Dude, you can still have a crush on someone else even if you like Liz." Ned pushed. "Though… I'm beginning to think you might like Nadia a little more." He began listing things as they stepped into the elevator.

"You always talk about her in school. You text her, like, a _lot_. If you don't notice, you're actually the one who steers us to the café she works at after school. And, when we all do meet up, it's like you have a lot of inside jokes and things that only you two get."

"N-Ned…" Peter stared at his friend, "Shut up." He almost hissed as they walked down the hall to Nadia's apartment. "Please…"

Everything Ned said was true and it confused him. Those things he mentioned were mostly because of patrol duties and working together. Well, there were times that they hung out just for the sake of passing time… but that was it, right?

His train of thought was interrupted when the door opened and Nadia herself stood a little hunched, dressed in the clothes he'd laid out for her the night before. A thick forest green blanket was draped over her shoulders, and she had fuzzy socks on. A look of surprise flit over her face, but turned into a soft, tired smile.

Peter smiled back at her, feeling glad that she was somewhat alright, but frowning when he noticed her slightly pallid complexion.

"Is that for me?" She asked, stepping aside and gesturing for the two boys to come in.

"Yeah. It's chicken soup. It was all Peter's idea." Ned grinned, announcing proudly and nudging his friend slightly.

"That's sweet of you, Peter."

The other teen blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Mrs. Henderson said you called in sick."

Nadia shuffled to her living room and plopped onto her couch before she turned back to the two. "Thank you. _Both of you_ for checking in on me." Stevie jumped onto her lap and nudged her neck. The young woman savored the warmth and hugged the dog, sighing sleepily.

Peter thought it was cute… _Wait, what?_

"How did you get sick, Nadia?" Ned asked as he came back from the kitchen, holding a spoon.

"Fell asleep with wet hair." The young woman shrugged, taking the spoon from Ned gratefully. "Stevie actually tried to get me up after I dozed off, but I was too sleepy." She shifted in her seat and leaned forward to wrap her fingers around the take out bowl on the coffee table. She breathed in the steam contentedly.

 _She got soaked in the lake and got chilled because her suit doesn't have a heater._

"Wow… smells heavenly."

Peter looked at Nadia and felt guilty. She must have fallen asleep in her robes the night before. He berated himself for not staying to make sure she _actually_ got changed before he left. Or maybe checked on her after he got his stuff from Liz's place or earlier in the morning before school.

"This is good." The young woman hummed after savoring a spoonful. She noticed the look on Peter's face.

"Ned, can you get the bottle of Advil in the medicine cabinet please. In the bathroom." Nadia said pleasantly.

"Okay. Sure."

When Ned was far enough away, Nadia straightened a bit and looked at Peter. "So what's the update on the glowy thingy?"

The teen swallowed and tried to sound stern. "You're sick, Nadia. You don't need to worry. I can handle it."

"It's dangerous with the weapons involved, Peter. I want to be in the loop if you're planning something." She rebutted.

"You're _sick_." He insisted.

She didn't back down and looked pretty intimidating for someone who looked a bit sick and tired. The teen sighed.

"I was able to plant a tracker on one of the goons from last night. Ned and I are gonna try and see if they'll lead us back to their secret lair." He fell silent when said friend re-entered the living room with a bottle of pills and a glass of water.

Nadia nodded, having some more chicken soup. Peter understood that the action was in response to his statement.

"Thanks, Ned." She smiled. "Now, it's not that I don't appreciate you two coming over, but it's a school night and you two probably have stuff to do. I don't want to be the reason you won't be able to do your homework. The meds will knock me out anyway."

She sniffled and wiped her nose with a tissue. "I think Peter needs to get to his Stark internship too."

Peter jumped up from the armchair he was in and spoke up, "Actually, I can do the stuff they need for the internship at home today. Ned's coming over to study there." Nadia caught his meaning. The two would do the tracking at Peter's apartment.

"Alright then. Thanks again for the soup. It's really making me feel better. Now get going, before I infect you two." She chuckled, wiggling her fingers at them.

"Get better soon, Nadia." Ned said cheerfully.

"Yeah." Peter agreed. "Watch her, Stevie. Make sure she drinks a lot of water." He commanded, giving the dog a good scratch behind the ears.

The dog barked as the two left the apartment.

When they were in the elevator going down, Ned looked at Peter. "Yup. Totally like a super concerned boyfriend."

Peter glared at his best friend, "Shuddup, Ned…" He said, though without much heat.

Maybe a little crush?... He wondered.

* * *

Peter tinkered with his web shooters, studied his notes, and hung from the ceiling while Ned kept an eye on the tracker.

It was somewhat boring to just wait for the bad guys to stop, but it left him with a lot of time to mull over the thoughts in his head.

When did it start?

He and Nadia were close, even if they knew each other for just five months. Training with her, going on patrols together, and sometimes, just talking were fun and laid back times. Times he looked forward to because he could be himself without worrying about hiding secrets when he was with her.

Maybe even a bit more after Ned found out his alter-ego. He saw how she genuinely just liked hanging out with Peter Parker. She wasn't just some fan or starstruck person who idolized Spider-man.

It wasn't even until Ned mentioned the word "crush" today that he even started thinking differently…

The little moments she ruffled his hair, gave him a hug, teasingly called him names or shared smiles with him always made him happy… maybe even more so now. He recognized the warmth in his chest and how the thoughts made him smile fondly.

The memory of carrying her from the playground flit through his head, and he remembered how she argued with him groggily. He found it funny that she could be such a badass with magic if she wanted to, then sound like a toddler when she was tired.

Did he like her?

Did he have a crush on her?

 _Maybe?_

The thoughts made him blush.

He ran a hand over his face and groaned silently lest Ned hear and notice the reddish tint on his cheeks and ask him another barrage of questions.

"They stopped." His friend's statement cut through the dim light in his room.

"Maryland?"

It was three hundred miles away. When the two teens figured they would use the trip to DC for nationals to get there, Peter immediately brought out his phone to shoot Nadia a text.

"J-Just checking out, you know… possible locations in Maryland that they might be trying to hit." Peter reasoned when Ned gave him a questioning look.

Huh… it looked like Nadia was starting to rub off on him too. Making an excuse for why he was immediately typing on his phone was surprisingly easy. His excuse was believable too.

Too bad the leftover blush on Peter's cheeks became visible due to the light from his phone, otherwise, Ned wouldn't have jumped to conclusions again.

* * *

The sight of Nadia waiting in front of her apartment door with the same blanket on her shoulders was a little worrying. Peter felt better though when he noticed her complexion looked much better and she had a little more color on her cheeks. She ushered the teen quickly into her living room.

"Alright. Thank you for keeping me in the loop. But if you're leaving town, I want updates. Those weapons dealers are dangerous, Peter… Gods… if something goes wrong…" Nadia worried her lip and paced back and forth across the rug.

"I'll be okay." Peter grumbled a bit. "I _promise_ I can handle myself. It's mostly more tracking anyway." He said confidently.

Nadia closed her eyes. Yes… he would be okay. Everything that was going to happen was crucial... But knowing the danger he was going to get himself into… it didn't make it any easier not to interfere.

"I know, Peter. I know you can hold your own… but… your friends will be close by when you go on this mission this time. Be extra careful." She warned.

Honestly, Peter hadn't thought about that. How going on a Spider-man mission might endanger the decathlon team. He furrowed his brow, thinking. "Well… there's gonna be _miles_ between the nationals in DC and Maryland." The teen shrugged. "There's nothing to worry about."

Nadia's smile was a bit shaky, but Peter blamed it on her still being a bit sick. "Okay. I trust you, but just as a precaution, here… hold out your hand."

Peter followed as instructed and Nadia tied a thin braided cord around his wrist. The securing knot made the threads glow for a second before it returned to normal.

The teen couldn't stop himself from groaning, shoulders hunching. "This isn't a tracker or anything, right?"

"I wish it was." Nadia snorted.

"Nadiaaaa…"

The young woman raised her hands defensively, "It's not. But, Gods forbid, things go south, break the cord. I'll be there." She said, raising her own wrist to show a similar band.

Peter huffed. "You should be recovering. I _totally_ have the weapons dealers handled. I promise, I'll be careful." His tone was a bit exasperated. He looked down at the ground and ran his fingers over the straps of his bag. Why was Nadia starting to doubt him now?

As if she'd read his mind, Nadia sighed. "Hey, Spider-boy… I know I'm starting to sound like a babysitter, but I'm not your handler. I'm not Happy. You already have him to worry about giving high cholesterol. I'm just concerned. Remember, being your support is what I signed up for. You decide if you _do_ or _don't_ need me, okay? _You_." She sniffed and gave a confident grin. "And, like I said before, I can handle myself too. This is just a little cold."

Peter shuffled on his feet. Now he felt like a jerk again… He didn't know what to say or do but nod.

"Now get going… I'm sure your bus is going to be leaving soon." Nadia ruffled Peter's hair and he blushed. For a moment, he felt like he should ask her about what Ned said.

"Uhmmmm…" What exactly was he supposed to say?

"Hmmm?" Nadia looked right at him, a gentle, questioning smile on her face, ready to reassure him if he had any more doubts. Her dark hair was mussed from sleep and her nose was a bit red. It awed him how she was still adamant at being his back-up even if she was still sick. Not that heroes really got sick days or anything… but still…

He scratched the back of his neck, nervous. "I-"

Peter's phone buzzed.

 **Ned: Bus is leaving in 10 minutes. Wer r u?**

"Go on, Peter. Good luck with the Nationals too by the way. Keep me updated." Nadia bopped him lightly on the head with her phone and steered him towards the door.

He'd ask her another time… Maybe…

* * *

Sparks formed near the entrance to her kitchen. Stevie dashed around frantically and barked.

"I brought some tea for you." A pair of soft leather boots stepped onto the tile. "Do you want it now, or later, Iya?" The figure did her best to ignore the canine bouncing off the walls. She sighed, "I don't have a quarrel with you, dog." She ignited her fingertips with magic, making the dog go silent. Stevie sat anxiously in a corner of the kitchen, whining. The woman chuckled and turned to take the thermos and a mug to the living room.

Grey eyes spotted Nadia curled on the couch.

"How do you stand it? Knowing that they're on the way to getting hurt? On their way to danger?" The young woman mumbled, fingers tightening on the braided cord on her wrist.

Anya Capelli put the thermos and mug down on the coffee table and sat down beside her daughter. "That was the burden we took when we agreed to take on the mantle of Outsiders, Nadia." She put a comforting hand around her shoulders while running her fingers through the young woman's hair to soothe her. "We support them, that is what we do. We may have to stand back most of the time, but we only do so because it's essential to their growth. For them to learn and become stronger... better."

Nadia looked to the older woman, her hazel orbs wide.

"So far, I decided to see only Peter's fates in the Archive. Just his…" Nadia put her arms around her mother and squeezed. "I can't imagine what grandma felt like knowing so much. What it's like to know even _two_." The thought was daunting.

"It's still your choice, Nadia. You can decide to take on the second one or not. It's nearing the end, anyway. So you might not need to. Your grandmother always made it clear that it was our choice."

"I know." Nadia sniffed.

Anya held her daughter at arm's length, looking at her seriously. "Do you regret it?"

The young woman took a second to contemplate, but she shook her head. "Knowing how I can protect him is invaluable. And getting the opportunity to be his friend is worth it."

They were both silent for a few minutes.

"Will… Will you still go?" Nadia whispered so softly, Anya almost didn't hear it.

After a moment of hesitation, the older woman nodded. "I want to talk to Odin before he walks the halls of Valhalla. Loki'll be coming with Thor soon, too. When they do, I'll need to follow them. They'll need all the help they can get after Ragnarok."

Nadia held her mother tighter. "I've done everything I can here. It's not fair to him, I decided to take on his fate and I have barely helped him at all, being limited to earth. He saved both of us, I owe him as much." Anya said firmly.

"And I'll always be grateful to him for that… but… It's not fair, mom. Grandpa doesn't even _know_ about you, and you're going to disappear?" Nadia said shakily.

"You know I'll try my best to see this through. When all this is over, I really want to get to know my father personally." The older woman smiled, a faraway look in her eyes. "Not just from the Archive or your grandmother's stories. I want to get to know this world and its heroes _beyond_ what's in the books." Anya shifted, looking away. "If all else fails though… your grandfather will have you."

Nadia gasped, "I don't want to be alone."

Anya tucked her daughter's dark hair behind her ears. "And you won't be, Iya. You're becoming a part of this world, more than me or your grandmother. You can make more connections here. Protect them. When your grandmother made the Archive years ago and called us Outsiders, she was mostly referring to herself. She could never really become a part of this world because of the fear she had of the danger that becoming involved might bring. She always hoped that we'd transcend that name because we would most likely be the ones who would see the events beyond the Archive. Become Guardians and Protectors, not outsiders." Anya matched her daughter's serious look.

Nadia just nodded. "We still have one _hell_ of a hurdle before we reach the end though. Please just promise me you'll do what you can to come back." She didn't want to think of the darkest times ahead anymore… of the titan... So she forced a smile. "I want to see the look on grandpa's face when you tell him about you and… when he finds out about me." The young woman breathed out a laugh. She really was curious what kind of expression the man would have.

"Alright… I have a few days with you, Nadia. When you feel better, you can show me around Queens." Anya smiled, pouring a mug of tea for her daughter.

Nadia nodded happily, glad to have time with her mother. She did not want to fight her again. The young woman wanted to spend these days well, because in the back of her mind, these days might just be the last.

* * *

 ** _A/N: So we get our first glimpse of Nadia's mother here. I feel like I may be getting a little bit wordy on the emotional conversations... what do you think? Anya Capelli is also going to show up in the next chapter._**

 ** _Review please!~ I really love hearing what you guys think. I'm open to comments and suggestions._**


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: On to DC! Not much I have to really say about this chapter... but I think it might be one of the less creative ones, though still one I have to get through. Thanks again to those who read, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts. I didn't reply to each review this time cuz I have this feeling I might give something away. Thanks to- Little-Miss-Anime-Luva, Reena, Petra0suomesta, and LoveFiction2018. Enjoy!~  
**_

* * *

After removing the tracker from his suit and arguing slightly with Ned about deactivating the Training Wheels Protocol, Peter felt he was ready. This was his chance to prove himself. He zipped up his jacket and opened the door.

"The glowy thing's evidence. Keep it safe." He reminded Ned.

"Okay." His friend said, grabbing the power core.

Peter nodded and looked at the tracking program again. "They're moving…" The glow from the hologram illuminated the black threads around his wrist.

Nadia did say it wasn't a tracker… but…

She'd be so impressed if he really handled everything on his own. He didn't need to worry her with a panic button.

Carefully, he untied the cord and tossed it to Ned. "What's this?"

"Uh, just something my partner gave me. She said something like "break the cord" in case of emergency, but I can totally handle it. Keep it for me till I get back."

"You know you should think of a hero name already other than just "partner"."

"Later…" Peter said distracted as he double checked the map.

"Alright, Peter. Be careful!" Ned called after his friend as the door to the room closed.

* * *

Peter stared down through the skylight somewhat longingly. There were just some times that he missed being a normal teenager. Then he could be messing around with the rest of the team.

He sighed, taking a deep breath and putting on his mask.

 **::Good evening Peter. Congratulations on completing the rigorous Training Wheels program and gaining access to your suit's full capabilities.::** A feminine voice spoke, making Peter jump.

"A-Ah… Thank you." The teen didn't know what else to say.

 **::So where would you like to take me tonight?::**

"Uhmmm… I put a tracker on someone. He's a bad guy." Peter nodded, putting his hands on his waist to try and steady himself from the jolt of surprise at this development.

 **::Tracker located. Plotting course to intercept target.::**

Peter noted the red line tracing the path to his destination on the map that was displayed in his mask.

He shrugged before he made a few leaps forward to start off. "Well, as long as I make it back to decathlon, it's fine."

He hopped onto a truck just as he remembered, "Right… update."

 **::Update who, Peter?::**

"Ah, see… my partner, I'm supposed to tell her if I go out on my mission." The teen said a little hesitantly.

 **::I have a contact designated 'Sabrina' in my system. Do you want me to send her a text?::**

"What? Mr. Stark knows who she is?" Peter's voice cracked. He groaned and mumbled, "You know what, I'm not surprised."

 **::I believe it's the secondary number he programmed into the Stark phone he gave her.::**

"Okay… Just send her a text saying I'm tracking the bad guys now."

* * *

When Peter found the tracker and heard about the heist, the idea of catching the bad guys red handed made him even more excited.

He was right to leave the bracelet in the hotel. He could totally handle a heist. And when he did, Mr. Stark would know what he was capable of and Nadia would be so proud. He grinned under his mask before he launched a web line to the cargo truck that drove past.

* * *

"Oh God… I'm such an _idiot_!" Peter berated himself as he pounded his fists on the door of the storage facility, panicking. If he had the bracelet, Nadia could easily find him and portal them out of here. But he didn't… so he had to rely on himself to try and figure out the right combination for the time lock. He had to get to Ned. His friend had a bomb that was ready to go off if it got exposed to x-rays.

He groaned in frustration when the combination didn't work. He took another breath and solved for the next one.

* * *

Ned paced back and forth in the hotel room. Peter wasn't back yet, and he'd been gone the whole night. It was almost time to go. He spotted the black cord on the top of the bedside table. Just as he picked it up, Liz knocked on the door of the hotel room.

"Ned! Peter!"

The teen immediately stuffed the glowy thing and the bracelet in his pocket before taking a breath, wondering what he would say when he opened the door.

* * *

Nadia's phone barely rang once before she picked up.

" _Peter_! You-"

 **::Nadia! The glowy thingy's a bomb and Ned has it!::** The vigilante's high and panicked voice cut her off.

"Shit…" The young woman cursed. She didn't see it, but Peter's eyes widened. He'd never heard her curse. "My magic is still a bit weird since I got sick. Break the cord, it'll help me pinpoint-"

 **::I-I… I don't have it-::**

" _What_?! Peter!-"

 **::I think the nationals just finished. I can't get a hold of Ned yet. Get to him! Get the glowy thing!::**

"Alright… Alright. Where are you?" Nadia pulled up a search and checked the location of the nationals.

 **::I'm near DC. I can see the memorial.::**

"Keep dialing." She said before ending the call.

Finding the building where the decathlon was being held, she tried to conjure a portal. It sparked for a moment, but dissipated.

Nadia's mother had been watching her daughter from the entrance to the kitchen. "Nadia. Your magic is still a bit erratic. You won't be able to-"

"I know!" The young woman snapped. "But I have to _try_." She ran her hand over her face when the portal still didn't form. She breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself, knowing that chaotic emotions wouldn't help her either.

Anya sighed. "Here. Take these." She slipped the bronze vambraces from her arms and snapped them on her daughter's. "They'll help you manage your magic for now, but I'm warning you. Your spells will be severely limited. Be very careful."

Nadia nodded quickly and gave her mother a brief hug before finally conjuring a successful portal.

* * *

The elevator creaked ominously, causing its passengers to look at each other anxiously. Ned hoped Peter would swing in soon. He talked to him on the phone earlier, Peter most likely knew they were at the memorial. Ned stuck his hands in his pockets to pull out his phone, but when he did, a black bracelet fell out. He eyed it for a moment.

 _"In case of emergency… break the cord…"_

He picked it up and casually turned to face the wall…

 _God, I really hope this works._

Taking one end in each hand, he took a gulp of air and tugged. The black threads snapped and dissolved into sparks.

"Wow… that's awesome…" Ned whispered.

* * *

Nadia tried to catch the team while they were still at the building where the decathlon was held. She had no luck picking them out among the crowd of dallying students and teachers, so she quickly made her way to the Washington Memorial. The smoke and dust rising from near the top told her the explosion already happened.

Using the chaos as a distraction, she spell-switched her robes, seeing a figure near the base of the memorial as Michelle, one of Peter's decathlon team mates. Nadia arrived a second after Peter did.

"Oh my God! You made it! Can you portal me up there?"

Nadia shook her head regretfully, "It's risky with my magic right now. Get up there and get to them. I'll try to hold up the elevator from down here, but hurry. It might not hold."

Peter nodded and leapt onto the side of the memorial and hurriedly started climbing. Nadia, on the other hand, dashed towards the entrance of the structure.

A guard tried to bar her from entering. "Sorry ma'am, it's not safe. We're not letting anyone in."

The young woman was extremely annoyed, "Do I look like a _friggin'_ tourist?!" She pushed past and went to the bottom of the shaft. "Get these doors open!" She couldn't waste her magic prying the doors open when there were perfectly capable staff.

The security guard was pretty dumbstruck and moved to do what the robed vigilante asked. Using a simple button in the control room to open the doors.

Looking up the shaft, Nadia could see the bottom of the elevator quiver. It would be dangerous if she miscast and formed the barrier spell too high. Usually, a visual was enough, but her magic was unreliable right now. Something in the back of her mind tingled, and she knew the cord was snapped.

 _Ned._

It gave her a focus for her magic, she lifted her arms and concentrated on casting her spell a little below where she felt the magical summons.

* * *

 **::It looks like your partner is building an energy field a few feet below the elevator.::**

"Okay- that buys us some time, right?" Peter said, trying to figure out how to break through the window.

 **::Judging how the field is in flux and the impact the elevator will cause from the slight drop, it might only hold for a few seconds.::**

Peter took a deep breath and ignored the men who were shouting at him from the helicopter. Then, he jumped. Going over the helicopter's blades, he shot a web line to direct his momentum toward the one window. He heard a metallic snap and screams just as he broke through. The elevator started falling for a moment, then stopped.

On the ground floor, Nadia grunted and was pushed down to her knees. "Crap!"

From the top of the elevator shaft, Peter shot out as many web lines as possible, connecting them from the elevator to the concrete ceiling.

He made three before Nadia's spell broke. The elevator shuddered violently, but it didn't fall.

Peter lowered himself to the elevator and pried the doors open for the last three passengers to escape- Ned, Liz, and Mr. Harrington. One by one, he helped boost them up onto the landing. Changing his voice a bit, he asked, "So… uh- is everyone okay?"

Liz and the others nodded. The elevator groaned again before the ceiling finally gave way and with a yelp, Peter fell with the elevator car. Just as the vigilante fell through a cloud of dust, he twisted and shot another line of webbing to the side of the shaft. He lowered himself down to the ground level.

A lot of people were taking videos and pictures, he had to get going and change fast. He already missed the competition, they'd be looking for him. Where was Nadia?

He spotted the person he was looking for talking to another robed figure. The other figure's costume was similar to Nadia's, only dark purple and black with a deep hood.

Peter jogged to them, "Hey… Hey- uh…." He realized how the absence of a superhero name for Nadia would quickly turn into a problem. When the young woman looked to him, he gasped. "Your nose is bleeding."

She waved him off and swayed a bit before the other woman put steadying arms on Nadia's shoulders. "I'm okay."

Sparks formed a portal and the two robed women walked towards it, Nadia looking warily at all the people bringing out their phones. She looked to Peter before stepping through the portal, the glow from the eyes of her mask seemed to intensify. "We'll talk when you get back."

Peter gulped and turned around. "Nothing to see here, people." When the portal shut, he nodded and waved before he ran out, heading for his backpack.

* * *

May was tearful and hugged Peter tightly when he got off the bus back in Queens. He looked around for Nadia, but was worried when she didn't seem to be in the school parking lot.

The next day, he dropped by the café to see her. She was clearing a table when he waved at her from outside, his half-smile unsure. Her expression was a bit blank when she looked up at him, and she met him outside.

"Nadia… I-"

She cut him off with a raised hand. "My shift ends in five minutes, I'll meet you at the apartment." Her sentence was short. She handed him a key and she went back inside.

Peter felt downcast… nervous and embarrassed too… he walked to Nadia's place with his head down.

When he unlocked the door, Stevie was there to greet him. The teen took comfort in the canine's happy bark and knelt to hug and pet the dog. "Looks like I really screwed up, Stevie."

"Peter Parker, right?" An unfamiliar feminine voice made him jump up. A woman was standing a few steps from him. She had brown hair in a ponytail and pale blue eyes. She looked a lot like Nadia. "Did Nadia send you over?"

"Uh… yeah?" He answered hesitantly. Who was this lady? She looked like she was in her thirties.

"Anya Capelli. It is very nice to finally meet you." She held out her hand and smiled. Peter reluctantly took it. "Nadia really talks a lot about you."

"Sh-she does?" A hopeful look crossed his face for a moment before his eyes turned down again. "Not so much now though, I think." Peter mumbled, "She's mad."

Anya looked at the boy sympathetically. "I know what that's like. Even when she was little, she hardly ever gets mad. When she does though…" The woman huffed out a laugh.

"I screwed up real bad. She… sorta tried to… h-help me out. I-I pretty much… ig-ignored the help and made her- made her worry." Peter stuttered, doing his best to explain the problem, but be discrete.

Anya nodded, walking to the kitchen. "Soda? Water?" Peter followed and shook his head, but took a seat at the small dining table.

"You definitely riled her up when you told her you didn't have the cord. She insisted on going to DC to help you, even if her magic was still a bit unstable." The woman prepared herself a mug of tea. "She was panicking so much about it, she had to use these to control her magic." She held up one arm before sitting at the table. "She'll be mad for a few days, maybe go harder than necessary on you during your training, but she always forgives."

Peter sat with his mouth open, staring at the woman.

"Yes, I know your alter-ego, Spider-man. Your voice is hard to mistake for another person's if you recently heard it. Keep that in mind." Anya seemed to smile wither her eyes as she gave him a sly look.

"You're a sorcerer, too?! Is-Is it a family trade or-or something?" Peter asked excitedly. Another hero?

She let out a soft, breathy laugh. "In a way, yes. I would have thought Nadia might have told you a little about me."

"I-I don't… I don't think so. Are you her aunt?" Peter tried to search his memories for any conversation about Nadia's family. She only really every talked about her grandmother and her-

"Mom? I thought you were going to be out until tonight?" Nadia appeared at the entrance to the kitchen.

 _Wait…_

"Mom?!" Peter's voice cracked, confused stare flickering back and forth between the two women.

* * *

And that was how they relocated to the living room and Nadia ended up explaining how her mother's magic messed with the speed of her aging… which explained why Nadia's mother looked only slightly older than May when Nadia herself was supposed to be just twenty three.

"You were the other sorcerer at the memorial." Peter concluded.

Anya nodded, sipping at her tea. "I had to bring Nadia home after she stressed her magic. Sorcerers in our family rarely ever get sick. When we do, recovery is swift. But it interferes with our control of mystical energy for a while longer, even if our bodies are well."

"Are you okay now, Nadia?" Peter asked, concerned. "You had a nosebleed back at the memorial."

Said young woman nodded sternly, before nudging Stevie off her lap and standing. "Speaking of which…"

Peter gulped at the serious glare that Nadia was throwing him, putting up his hands. "I-"

"Why the _hell_ did you just leave the cord!?" She gathered a small sphere of magic in her hands and threw it at Peter. Stevie went wild again and started dashing around.

The mystic dust pushed him roughly back and made him sputter. The force shoved him through a wall of shattered glass and made him disappear into the mirror dimension.

Nadia stomped right after him.

Anya sighed. It had been a while since she saw her daughter mad like that. It was strange, but it was a good sign. She only got that mad when it concerned people she was close to. She looked to the grey dog that had started to calm down, but was still pacing across the carpet anxiously.

"They'll take a while." Anya addressed the retriever. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Stevie barked and eagerly went to sit at the door.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I feel a bit wary of all the scene changes in the middle, but I tried to go for the feel of a movie where a little chaos gives the feeling of panic or stress. Did I get it? Or is it just confusing?_**

 ** _Anyway, I wonder if you notice the little changes I make to the movie where I think it doesn't make sense? Like how Peter would survive his high fall into the lake without real injury, even if it is into water. Which is why I made Nadia sort of catch him or slow his fall._**

 ** _Or how I delayed Peter from climbing up the memorial for a few seconds while he talked to Nadia so that the elevator would start falling a little sooner, let Nadia hold it for a few seconds so he could secure it... and the whole scenario where he catches Liz from falling never happens... XD_**

 ** _Review please!~ I really love hearing what you guys think. I'm open to comments and suggestions._**


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: Unfortunately, this will be the last of the Renny-Bucky-Steve flashback chapters. I will probably be publishing an accompanying story that will cover their shenanigans later on. Thank you again to everyone who read, reviewed, and added to this story to their alerts, particularly-**_

 _ **Little-Miss-Anime-Luva: Thanks for your input. I was really pretty worried about all the scene breaks last chapter.**_

 _ **Piper and Snippy: Glad to know this story has been interesting enough to make you binge. Hahaha. Looks like you're getting your answer in this chapter.**_

 _ **LoveFiction2018.: Thanks again for being such a consistent reviewer. :D**_

 _ **Anyway... on with the story.  
**_

 _ **((Small edit, no need to reread))**_

* * *

 **1943**

"Hey, Sunshine!" Bucky tried calling out into the street. He knew he probably looked crazy, but he felt like their guardian angel had the right to be celebrating with them. She helped him and Steve for _years_ now, then she went _all the way_ to the Austrian Alps for him and helped the other prisoners too. He swore he probably would have lost his mind if she wasn't there to help talk him through, especially after Zola started his experiments.

At the corner of the street, Bucky saw a figure shuffle. The bronze glint of her vambraces was unmistakable.

He walked to her, slowly, knowing how she mostly liked to keep her distance. He felt elated when he reached her and she didn't suddenly disappear.

"Hey, Sunshine…" He repeated in a softer, soothing voice. "You should come and have a drink with us. The guys really should get to know who was helping us out while we were captured."

Renny looked up at him unsurely from under her hood. Her mind was telling her to just portal away… but… The hopeful smile that Bucky was giving her was making her melt.

She broke the rule of distance when she kept him company when he was captured by Hydra anyway, staying in the room they kept him for experiments. If she was really honest, she broke that rule _years_ ago, when she kept a closer watch on Steve and Bucky. She didn't just keep to their peripherals anymore, she usually sat right outside the window when they trained at Goldie's gym, trailed them less discretely. Sometimes, she would even accept a mug of hot coffee or a plate of pancakes that the two would take turns sticking their heads out the window to give her.

"There she is." Bucky's smile turned into a subtle but victorious grin. "You know, you don't need to hide under a hood all the time, doll."

Renny shook her head. Bucky just chuckled softly. "Alright. Alright." He wasn't going to push his luck. He held his arm out to her, "Shall we?"

* * *

 **1945**

Distance…

It was an impossible thing. Renny could never really keep away from the boys… the young men… the soldiers she had come to care for so much.

Not when someone like Bucky made all the effort to include her. He called her out after raids and coaxed her to join the Howling Commandos around their campfire rather than sit alone in the cold dark. He'd talk to her during watches and offer his tent or bedroll because he knew how participating in the raids exhausted her.

Oh, not that the other Commandos were ungentlemanly, they always let Bucky be the one to ask, and gave each other sly smirks when he did. Especially after Falsworth offered his sleeping bag once and Bucky became one hell of a sourpuss for a few days.

She remembered how Steve smiled whenever she stuck close to his best friend and chose to stay beside him when they set up camp or went through plans for the next raid.

She would blush and turn away when she noticed the blond looking, like Captain America didn't notice how she maybe had a crush on the Commando's sniper.

"You love him, don't you?" Steve said, hunched over a glass of whiskey. _Love_ , not loved. Part of the man still didn't want to accept the reality that Bucky was really gone. He refilled his glass and pulled out a second one, filling it up too. He pushed the glass to the side, in front of a second chair.

Renny hesitantly sat beside Steve. She looked at the golden liquid in the glass, examining it for a second before taking a large swig.

"I'll take that as a yes." The blond looked at her, his eyes deeply sympathetic. "I… I'm so sorry I couldn't save him. He loved you too, you know. Talked about he was going to ask you out on a proper date when this was all over."

Renny flinched, eyes filling with a crushing guilt. She couldn't look at Steve and let him see. Her fingers tightened on her glass. "I- I'm sorry too." The words felt so inadequate. Her guilt was eating her from the inside out, she felt suffocated.

"I'm _really_ sorry." She put a hand on his arm and squeezed then disappeared.

* * *

The years after Steve went under, the years they trained Bucky into the Winter Soldier… they were incredibly heart wrenching for Renny.

She could have saved Steve, but she let him go into the ice. Her years of study and training in the mystic arts at Kamar-Taj was partly for this. The tracking spell she had placed on him the night at the bar led her to where he slept. She cast a rejuvenating spell on him to help keep Steve alive in the ice, because she never understood how the super soldier serum alone did that. Not when he was completely exposed to everything else in the ice.

She also cast multiple protective and shielding charms on him and the ship. No one would find him until he was needed. When she was done, she said a prayer, and another fervent apology. It barely helped ease the weight of her guilt.

She could also have saved Bucky from falling from the train in the first place. She could rescue him from the clutches of Hydra before he was turned into a shell of what he was once. But… the world needed Bucky Barnes in the future. They needed him with the skills of the Winter Soldier. He was an instrumental player in the Infinity War.

She could ease his pain and comfort him in secret, but she could never truly take him away from the torture. Not without fundamentally changing something.

She had to admit, there were times that the thought of ending it had flit through her mind. That she couldn't deal with the guilt and the pain that was ripping her from the inside out. That she must be insane and totally _heartless_ to have let such harm and suffering come to the people she had come to love.

But the thought of them going through hell when she could do even the smallest of things to soothe them or take away even the most minute amount of pain was even more crushing. Her own pain was her payment for letting them suffer in the first place.

She would take care of the people she loved.

* * *

 **1968**

The figure stood ten feet in front of him and approached slowly. One foot in front of the other, soft boots crunching in the snow. Its arms were held up and away from its body, showing that it had no weapons.

Bodies were strewn around him in the white powder. The spatters and growing pools of crimson made the figure pause, but it continued after a moment.

He had to report in soon, but one glance at the mountain pass said that he would be delayed for a few days. That… and something kept him in place, staring intently at the approaching figure.

The fact that he couldn't see her face, it was definitely a woman from the curves that were apparent even under her loose robes, should have made him instinctively shoot a bullet through her skull. The same feeling that had him staring also said that he could trust her… that she was important…

Then she was in front of him, grey-blue eyes looking up from the shadow of her hood.

 _Those eyes…_

He'd seen them around the base, in his peripherals, when he sometimes dreamed… and before too…

 _Before…_

He found his hands very carefully moving upwards. Any other person would have flinched away at the sight of his metal arm, but she didn't. It was assuring to him. After all, even the scientists who were in charge of him did.

Gently, almost like something within him felt like she would disappear like the memories that would sometimes flash in his dreams like ghosts, he pulled down her hood.

" _Sunshine_ …" The man muttered so quietly the word seemed to fade with his breath in the wind. The word surprised him. It was completely foreign, but so familiar on his tongue.

She seemed a little older now, twenty-five maybe? But it was definitely her… whoever she was…

"Yes. You still remember." Her voice held sheer relief and her shoulders practically sagged. Renny always tagged along during his missions, even if they added more weight to her already overwhelming guilt, making her feel somewhat responsible for the deaths of many when she had the power to do something.

She couldn't stop Bucky. She could never hurt him to protect his marks. Even if she did, she risked him being punished or even more harshly treated by Hydra if they found out some of his targets were surviving.

She usually treated him before he had to return, but he never remembered. Not really. Hydra kept wiping him after every mission to keep him as compliant and battle ready as they could. This was the first time he had said the nickname he had for her though. Then again, this was the first time in a long time she had shown her face, her guilt making her ashamed and afraid to show herself.

He didn't give her affirmation at first, he closed his eyes, grasping for a memory, but all that came up was the thought of rain and moments of warmth. He opened his eyes, nodding tersely and mumbling something that sounded like, "A little…"

Her smile was infinitely sad and elated at the same time. Tears glinted at the corners of her eyes, and all he knew was that he didn't like the idea of her crying. The feeling was similar to when someone else handled the knives he favored using on missions and training. Angry… and somewhat possessive.

"You're bleeding." She said softly. Her fingers traced his shoulder, finding a seam in his armor where a bullet had managed to penetrate and wound him.

He didn't wince at the sting. He could handle so much worse after all. He didn't say anything else either and he didn't fight her either when she took his hand and guided him to the cabin his targets had been using.

* * *

 **2017**

Anya sighed, looking at the man who lay behind the glass. It was night time and the hum of machines in the room and the faint sound of rushing water from outside were the only sounds breaking the silence. There was no one there but the two of them.

The blue light from the chamber and the moonlight coming in from the large glass window made the room look like part of a dream.

The door hissed open, a single person entering and walking towards the cryogenic chamber in the middle. Now two of them were watching the sleeping man. Not that the newcomer would see her, she was in the mirror dimension after all.

"You really should see this place, Buck." Steve talked to him like he could hear him. "I mean really get to explore. It's beautiful." Maybe he could. Anya liked to think he could.

Steve's stories would cheer him up and keep him dreaming about something good. He deserved good dreams after all the hell he went through as the Winter Soldier. Maybe he heard her, too. The few times she would step out of hiding and talk to him. She wished fervently that he heard her. So when he woke up, he would at least have something of her to remember, even if it was just a feeling or the dream of a memory.

She moved forward and touched the glass. "I really wish we could have gotten to know each other." Even from the mirror dimension, her finger tips made the glass mist slightly.

"I know you're there." Steve suddenly spoke up. Anya whirled around and looked at him. He didn't look at her, but he was gazing in her general direction.

Hesitantly, Anya stepped out of the mirror dimension. She was going to be gone soon, anyway.

Steve sucked in a breath.

"Y-You're alive!" The man immediately wrapped Anya in a tight hug. "There was always a feeling in the back of my mind…"

When he pulled back, the woman he thought was his old friend from his time was looking at him sadly.

"You're… not Renny…" Steve started when he saw her eyes were a light blue rather than grey. The same blue as… "But _you're_ …" He sputtered, looking between her and his sleeping best friend.

"I am." She confirmed simply with a nod.

"Does he know? He never said anything. Then again, he's had trouble remembering… but why-"

"He doesn't. My mother never told him." She answered before Steve could continue.

"Bucky mentioned he remembered Renny showing up after missions. How she'd treat him before he had to go back to Hydra… She kept watching over him for so long…" Steve eyed the vambraces that were a signature for his old guardian angel. "Is she alive?" He was almost afraid of the answer.

"Asleep…" Anya looked back to where Bucky was laying behind the glass.

"Where? Does Hydra have her?!" Steve clenched his fists, ready to plan a rescue mission. They could do it- him, Sam, Nat, Hawkeye, Lang, and Wanda… They could even ask for help from T'Challa if they had to. Then again, they might not need to. Renny could be in an abandoned facility like where the other winter soldiers were kept, so-

"No. Not at all, Steven. She's safe. She'll decide when she's ready to wake up." Anya said softly. She always spoke softly, Steve noticed. It was like she didn't want to disturb Bucky.

"How long?" He asked, matching the woman's volume. He hated the idea of another friend waking up to the shock of a new century, like he did.

Anya sighed. "Almost ten years…"

"I'm sorry." Steve apologized like he could have done something about it, and yet he was still under the ice when her mother made the decision. "And you? Does your magic mess with your age too? How old are you? If I may ask, that is?" Steve scratched at the back of his neck. He felt embarrassed at how rude he must have sounded.

"Of course." Anya's laugh was breathy. "Technically?... Well, let's just say I am older than I look. Physically though… I'm around thirty-three."

"You're older than me." Steve laughed. "What's your name, by the way, ma'am?"

"Funny, Steven. You asked me my age before you did my name." She looked at him slyly.

"I'm sorry about that. It's just… you really look a lot like your mom, and she hardly aged the whole time we knew her… and you have Bucky's eyes."

The woman smiled. "So she always said. It's Anya, by the way. I don't know if he remembers, but he once mentioned to my mother that it was a nice name. She-"

"Hey, Rogers-"

The blonde turned around to see Natasha standing at the door to the room.

"Who were you talking to?" The red head asked, squinting into the shadows.

When Steve turned back, he was alone.

"Bucky… I was just talking to Bucky."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Awww... I wanted to do a little more of the first gen trio, but I felt like I would get carried away and deviate from the real focus of the story- which is technically Nadia and Peter._**

 ** _We finally know who Nadia's grandfather is though. Thoughts? Was I able to put enough chemistry between Renny and Bucky or did it seem too rushed? I was still trying to remain a bit vague and general because the details I'm saving for the accompanying story._**

 ** _A little curious too if you guys expected Bucky to be Nadia's grandfather or if you had someone else in mind? Let me know too. :D_**

 ** _Reviews, thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, and comments are always welcome. I love to know what you guys think of this chapter or of the story in general._**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: Loved the reception the last chapter got. It was the most reviewed chapter of this story. I'm so glad that Renny and Bucky were a hit with you guys. I honestly had to do some work to get into the right mindset again for this chapter and Nadia and Peter. Haha. More feels here.  
**_

 _ **I just want to thank all those who took the time to read, review, and add this story to their alerts. Especially-**_

 _ **Petra0suomesta, ActionLover203, Little-Miss-Anime-Luva, Piper and Snippy, HwGenius, LoveFiction2018, Guest, and Reena.**_

 _ **Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all so much! I'm a bit cautious leaving individual replies because this section might get too long. I'll probably reply personally with a PM instead. :)**_

 _ **Anyway... on with the story.**_

* * *

 **Present Day**

Peter blew out a slow breath of air.

After Nadia pretty much beat him up with her pent up frustration. They both sat quietly, watching the city buzz below them from a building's rooftop. They were still in the mirror dimension, so they didn't worry about anybody seeing them maskless.

He'd let her do it, mind you. She'd chased him all around the city and launched bursts of magic at him until she calmed down.

When they'd landed on this rooftop, she looked ready to punch his lights out. He closed his eyes, readying himself for the blow, but it never came.

Nadia instead wrapped her arms around him tightly. "For a kid genius, you really are a dummy sometimes." She chuckled, but the sound slowly morphed into choked sobs. Peter pretended not to notice, it might set Nadia off again if he said something about the tears, so he just held her back just as tightly.

"I'm sorry for making you worry so much." Peter muttered into her shoulder.

Nadia gave him one more squeeze before she pulled away. "I know you are, Peter. Just…" She pulled him back to her. "Don't do that again. Don't make me feel so helpless."

"Okay…" The background noise of the bustling city was calming. "I'll do my best to know when to call for back-up even when I'm trying to prove myself." Peter smiled playfully.

"Good…" Nadia sighed. She guessed that was the best she could hope for. Peter would always have a tendency to act tough until he got older. "Now come here. I left a bruise on your face." She held out a hand.

Peter shimmied over so she could place her fingers on his cheek, making him blush slightly. Nadia didn't notice with her eyes closed as she muttered a healing spell.

The warmth of mystic energy was soothing, and when Nadia opened her eyes after casting, the light from the magic made her eyes shine almost green.

"Wow… Your eyes are really pretty." Peter breathed out before he realized what he was saying.

Nadia just smiled.

Her soft expression bolstered Peter's confidence and the question he wanted an answer to surfaced again in his mind.

"Uhmmm… N-Nadia…" He stuffed his hands in his pockets to hide the fact that he was clenching his fists from nerves. He looked away, bashfully. "I think- I r-really- I think I… k-kind of… like … you…" His voice trailed off as soon as he looked back up.

Nadia pulled her hand on his cheek back slowly, gulping. "Peter…"

That was not the tone Peter wanted to hear. Though he really wasn't sure what he wanted to hear. She sounded apologetic.

The teen jumped up from his seat, "Hey, it's getting late, r-right? I… I'll take your p-patrol today. One more day of rest w-won't hurt, right?"

Nadia nodded, not sure what to do. Not wanting Peter to feel more trapped in the situation, she opened a portal out of the mirror dimension. The teen promptly disappeared through it.

The young woman followed Peter through, but he was already gone. She put her hands over her face and groaned.

This was not supposed to happen.

* * *

Nadia flopped onto the couch, a great sigh escaping her lips.

 _This was breaking Outsider rules… Right?_

 _Grandma had broken them… sorta. Even if she did have a form of relationship with Bucky Barnes, she practically ripped her heart out leaving him to his fate when he fell from the train and was trained into the Winter Soldier. She stayed true to the cause._

 _Mom sort of broke the rules on accident when she had me… but then again, my father never found out about me really. It didn't affect his fate._

 _Me though… Peter is young and will most likely get with Michelle… so the records in the Archives hint at._

Nadia unknowingly distracted him from Liz and pulled his attention to herself. Was that going to affect his fate? She wondered.

It was almost over though. The Archives were nearing obsolete and would be once the Infinity War passed.

She heard the door open and shut, followed by Stevie's claws clicking on the floor. He barked and jumped on Nadia's stomach. He nuzzled her when he sensed her distress.

"Iya? Did something happen?"

The young woman heard the concern in her mother's voice and covered her face, feeling ashamed. Nadia had opted not to be an outsider for a long time. In fact, she'd stayed on the sidelines until she met Peter. She was in charge of _his_ fate alone and she might have made him stray.

"I should have stayed in the shadows. I'm a horrible Outsider." She groaned in despair.

"Peter told you, didn't he?"

Nadia shot up and gaped at the older woman who had a small, knowing smile on her face.

"I spent just ten minutes talking with him, and it seemed quite obvious to me, really. He admires you greatly, at the very least." Anya sat beside her daughter. "He's a wonderful and sweet boy."

"How are you supporting this?! I could twist his fate. Make something happen that will alter the future. Something horrible could happen!" Nadia raised her voice, her words cracking at the end.

"I am not supporting or rejecting the idea. And as I told you before, you are part of this world Nadia. More so than myself or your grandmother. Our responsibility and our burden ends once the Archives become obsolete." Anya held her daughter's hands in her own. "From then, if we survive the hell that is coming, we will be free to make our own decisions."

"Free…" Nadia had grown up with the constant fear that her actions and her mere existence would ruin this world. Make it stray from the path it was supposed to run. She was always worried, even if she had not taken the Outsider title and responsibilities until several months ago.

"So what _do_ you feel about Peter? Love him as just a friend or little brother, or even something more, it will be your decision. We Capellis have been chained by the predictions of the Archives the moment we set foot in this world. Who am I to restrict you once you gain freedom?" Anya said gently. "Biologically, you _are_ just four years older than him. That will gap will only continue to close as more time passes." The woman had a sly twinkle in her eyes.

"Four years is still a lot mom. And the eleven year gap is _insane_." Nadia laughed incredulously, still shocked that her mother was alright with the idea of her with Peter…

 _Wow… That is a really weird thought…_

"I've always had to act more mature than I was. Age didn't matter… it doesn't matter. Hell, I currently pass myself off as a twenty-three year old." The young woman furrowed her brows. "There's no doubt a care about Peter. _A lot_ … but he's a kid and the affection I have for him is as a sibling or a very close friend."

"Then that is what you tell him." Anya's expression turned serious, "And no matter what does happen, you will leave Peter to the important events of his fate until our duty is finished. No matter how painful."

Nadia gulped, looking down at her hands. "I… I know."

* * *

"So how's the Spiderling?" Tony questioned while he tinkered with a few calculations for new upgrades on his suit.

 **::Pretty normal, boss.::** Happy's face was on the billionaire's phone, propped against a toolbox.

"Sabrina keeping a good eye on him then." Tony smirked, feeling a small spark of pride. If he couldn't be there for the kid all the time, he was glad he sent the next best thing.

 **::Actually-::**

Tony put up his finger. Happy was going to burst his bubble. The billionaire tapped a few buttons and saved his calculations.

"You were saying?" He stared at the man on his screen, daring him to ruin his good mood.

Hesitantly, Happy spoke up, **::The chatter between the two took a real dive since yesterday. Plus… the kid's latest notes didn't even mention Sparkles.::**

Tony raised his eyebrows, "How about her reports?"

 **::The usual from her, thought she seemed a bit distracted. She mentioned she did most of her patrol shadowing the kid. She hasn't done that since they became "partners".::** Happy made air quotes with his fingers.

Tony's phone buzzed and a circular icon on the corner of the screen let him know someone else was trying to contact him.

 _Well… this is a bit rare…_

 **::Tony, wait! I have some ques-::**

The man swiped the screen with a finger cutting the connection with Happy and answering the call. He pulled up a virtual screen so he didn't have to make do with just the screen on his phone.

 **::Stark.::**

"Hey there, Sabrina." He nodded, going back to his calculations. "You can just call me Tony, you know? The whole "Stark" thing with that serious face of yours makes me feel like a villain." He gestured offhandedly. "What's up with that anyway? From what I hear from the Spiderling, you actually smile a lot. Why-"

When he glanced up, he paused when he processed her expression. "Oh-kay… not serious today. You look worried." He groaned. " _Please_ don't tell me you called me for girl talk." He shuddered.

 **::It's Peter-::**

"This is girl talk." Tony wrinkled his nose in distaste.

 **::He told me he has feelings for me but-::**

"I _should_ be hanging up, but… _Whoah there_ young lady! Isn't he a little young for you? I mean he's a good looking kid but-"

 **::Stark! What the heck?! That's what I'm trying to say here. He's a kid, and all I see really is a little brother!::**

Tony let out an exaggerated sigh. "Well that's a relief. Wouldn't want my little Sabs to be a cradle robber."

Nadia gaped at the man from the screen. **::You've never-::**

"Sorry to cut you off there. I don't do mushy stuff. Seriously…" He turned back to his work, "Kind of busy here."

 **::Fine… fine. I just wanted to tell you that Peter will probably be acting strange and somewhat distracted until I can straighten things out with him about this. I'll mostly be off the radar for a while, but that doesn't mean that I'm not watching over him.::**

The young woman pinched the bridge of her nose.

 **::You should try talking to him, too. Not necessarily about this though. About something… He's been avoiding me, and he needs someone he looks up to to be there for him.::**

"Alright then. Tell Happy. If that's all, I have some business to attend to." The billionaire sniffed.

A sigh floated through the speakers and Nadia looked at the man with tired but accepting eyes.

 **::That's it, for now. Make sure you eat something, Tony. And get some sleep. Pretty soon those sunglasses you wear won't be enough to cover the bags under your eyes.::**

She grinned before ending the call.

Tony muttered while pulling up more screens with diagrams and calculations, working for a few minutes. He groaned before pausing.

"Friday, place an order for one meat lovers pizza. Stuffed crust."

 **::Gotcha, boss.::** Friday almost sounded amused for an AI.

* * *

Not that he wanted anybody to get hurt or get in some kind of trouble, but he wished that something _interesting_ would happen during his patrols. He needed the distraction.

Ned was spending time with his family today, so he couldn't call on his best friend for a movie marathon or something. He could always watch alone, but that was completely lame.

The thought of movie marathons brought up a memory from a few months back.

-.-.-.-

 _"So what did you think of the newer Star Wars movie?" Ned asked as he and Peter walked with Nadia to her apartment._

 _"Yeah! Who's your favorite character?" Peter spoke up, shifting the bag of kibble in his arms._

 _"Hmmmm… Well… Poe and BB-8, of course! Who wouldn't love a daring pilot like Dameron?" Nadia laughed when she saw the two boys wrinkle their noses._

 _"Han Solo is still the best pilot." Ned argued._

 _"Han and Chewie were the best, and seeing them again in the Force Awakens was awesome." Peter agreed._

 _"Anakin was the best pilot." Nadia debated. "He piloted an x-wing when he was just a little kid."_

 _"Is he your favorite character from the prequels?" Peter asked, curious._

 _"If I say Jar Jar Binks?-"_

 _"WHAT?!" The two teens gaped at the same time. Nadia laughed so hard at their incredulous expressions that she actually almost cried._

 _Seeing her smile so wide with her cheeks so red and her eyes practically sparkling made Peter smile and feel warm inside._

 _"Oh gosh no! It's Obi-Wan! Ewan McGregor saved the prequels." She said, still chuckling. She unlocked her door and let the boys in. Peter put the kibble in a corner._

 _Predictably, Ned headed straight for the kitchen counter. Peter stooped to pet Stevie who was sniffing at the bag of dog food. Nadia set a plate of cookies on the counter along with a carton of milk._

 _"Help yourselves." Nadia grinned, a cookie hanging from her own mouth._

 _"Don't mind if I do." Ned said eagerly._

 _Peter stood beside him and grabbed a cookie._

 _"When did you last see the original trilogy?" Peter asked._

 _Nadia hummed, taking a gulp of milk. She put down her glass and Peter had to hold in his own laugh at the sight of a milk mustache on her upper lip._

 _"It's been a long time. Eight years back, maybe- What?"_

 _"Milk mustache." Ned grinned._

 _Nadia reached up to touch at her lip when Peter snapped a picture. He laughed and flipped his phone to show her the picture. Nadia had a confused look on her face, her fingertips just reaching her lips._

 _"Peter!"_

 _-.-.-.-_

He still had that picture. He'd actually printed it out and pinned it to the wall near his desk among a few other pictures with him and Ned, their trio, and some with May.

 _"Eight years!"_

 _"Blasphemy!"_

 _"We're definitely having a marathon before the Rogue One movie."_

They hadn't done it yet. And now he made things weird between them.

Gosh… why couldn't he have kept it to himself.

Crushes changed and faded all the time, right?

Why did he feel so down though?

* * *

 ** _A/N: A little Tony in this chapter. And Peter/Nadia awkwardness. What do you think?_**

 ** _Reviews, thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, and comments are always welcome. I love to know what you guys think of this chapter or of the story in general._**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: Ding ding ding! We have a winner! I was wondering when someone would connect the dots. I won't state it plainly here for anybody who might want to retain some mystery... though if you really want to know what I mean, check out the reviews for the last chapter.  
**_

 ** _Okay, did I kind of skip ahead and assume everybody would understand why Tony calls Nadia Sabrina? Just to clarify, it's a reference to the TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch, like how Tony gives Hawkeye the nickname "Legolas". Sorry if I caused any confusion._**

 ** _Thanks again to everyone who read, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts and favorites-_**

 ** _HwGenius, Charlie, LoveFiction 2018, and Reena._**

 ** _Anyway, on with the story~_**

* * *

Peter did not contact Nadia for two days. He felt so mortified with what he said. The look she had on her face…

School wouldn't be able to distract him, he knew. Then he saw that Spider-man was all over the Midtown high news. They were showing clips of some students from the decathlon team describing what happened.

"There was another hero there too! I think she calls herself the Wraith." A recording of Ned gushed. Behind him, Michelle scoffed a bit. The camera shifted to her.

"Sounds sort of appropriate when she looks like something out of a fantasy novel."

The screen then switched to a very shaky video of Nadia casting her barrier spell, arms raised and hands glowing.

"The Wraith rage and Spider-man craze is sweeping the school. How can you show off your hero spirit?"

The last line made Peter preen for a second before seeing the video with Nadia only made his admiration for her spark again.

"Aaaaagh!..." The teen ruffled his own hair. He hated the turmoil of emotions that were churning in his gut. He tapped a hand on the rail has he hopped down the stairs, trying to distract himself.

"Dude! Dude! _Duuude_!" Ned jogged up to him, grinning.

"What does it feel like to be super popular and no one know it's you?"

Peter smiled, shrugging. It was pretty nice to be popular.

"Should we tell everybody?"

"Ned, No." Peter said firmly.

"Should _I_ tell everybody?" Ned's smile turned sly.

Peter shook his head again.

"Can you at least tell me who the Wraith is? I already know you're Spider-man. I really hope she doesn't mind me giving her a superhero name. You were taking solong. Do you think she'll like it?"

 _I don't want it to become weirder between me and Nadia by sharing her secret._

His mind was wandering to her again, and she pushed the thought away. He really needed to do something else. Maybe pursue the weapons dealers again.

* * *

When Aaron Davis gave him the time and location for the deal, a thought niggled at the back of his mind. He promised Nadia that he wasn't going to be reckless and call for back up when he needed it.

There were going to be weapons.

The guy with wings was going to be there.

Criminals were going to be there.

He gulped again… his stomach churning as he looked down at his phone unsurely.

When he reached the ferry terminal, he mumbled to himself. "No time to be distracted. She doesn't know anyway, so she won't have anything to worry about." He reasoned with himself, leaping then gliding after the Staten Island ferry.

* * *

 **::Incoming call: May Parker::**

Nadia raised an eyebrow when she saw the name. It was a little past eleven in the morning. What could be-

"Oh no…"

 _Staten Island Ferry. Eleven…_ A memory of a voice flashed through her mind.

She didn't answer the call. She didn't know what she could possibly tell May.

"Hannah, I have to go. Family emergency." Nadia told her boss, untying her half apron.

The woman looked concerned, but a little unhappy. "It's almost lunch rush, dear."

"I'll call Warren in to cover me." Nadia said, slipping on her jacket.

"Okay. Can you at least stay until he gets here?" The owner tried to bargain.

Nadia gulped, "I-I'm really sorry, Hannah. It's really urgent. I promise I'll make it up to you and take a double shift." She gave her boss one last apologetic look before hurrying out through the door. The young woman immediately ran to find an alley where she could switch into her robes and portal away.

When she reached the terminal, the ferry was already quite a distance away. She easily spotted Toomes already in the air.

"Dammit, Peter." She cursed. She'd have to portal run again. Conjuring platforms as she began sprinting several feet from the water, she pulled out her phone and dialed.

 **::Sabrina? I'm a little-::**

"Tony! Peter's at the Staten Island ferry after the weapons dealers!" She said, rushed.

 **::I knew it! JARVIS just finished the analysis of the sound I heard in the background.::** There were metallic clicks and snaps on the other line. He must have been putting on his suit.

"The dealers are- Crap!"

There was a strong blast of purple energy and Nadia had to dodge it, falling into the water.

She sputtered when she kicked back to the surface. The ferry was already slowly splitting apart and sinking into the bay.

Nadia pulled herself up on a conjured platform and continued to sprint, wet robes adding weight that slowed her down slightly.

When she was right behind the ferry, the splitting stopped for a moment, before she heard distinctive snaps and the vessel began to groan and continue its descent. She put her arms up immediately and used as much magic as she could to keep the two halves together. From the space between the two, she spotted Peter jump into the gap at the front of the ferry and try to physically hold the lines together. His strained yells only pushed her to pour even more magic into her spell.

Her desperation made something start to bubble over within her and she could start to feel it. Unbridled magic that tried to burn through her control. The golden wisps that were helping to hold the ferry were starting to turn green and wild.

"No…." She groaned. She couldn't lose control again. Not so close to people.

Then, suddenly, the pressure was eased. Nadia immediately released her spell and conjured a quick portal as she again fell towards the water. She landed on the deck of the ferry and cut off all her magic as soon as she did, not wanting the green wisps to turn into flames of mystic energy.

She breathed heavily and lay flat on the floor. The blast of Stark's repulsors were distinct as he sort of welded the ferry back together. She heard the faint sound of Iron Man telling Spiderman to get back on land and to wait for him. Then, moments later, the billionaire was standing over her.

"Sabrina."

"Stark."

"So, why didn't you call me in earlier?"

Nadia huffed and started pushing herself up. "I found out a little late, too." She winced a bit, holding her arm with a hiss. The action made Tony shift and hold his hand out to her, pulling her up to her feet. She sagged a bit.

She had rarely used her "green magic" for the past few years, and yet had used wild bursts of it several times in the past few months since she met Peter. It was exhausting.

"You okay there, Sabs?" Tony put a hand on her shoulder.

 **::Scan detects a type of burn on Ms, Capelli's left arm.::** FRIDAY reported within his helmet.

The man reached forward and gestured for the young woman's appendage.

"It's fine." Nadia said, reluctantly revealing the skin of her forearm. It was an angry red, like it had been badly scalded. "I dodged that blast a little too slowly. Thankfully, my robes were reinforced with some shielding spells."

Tony stared at the injury, the fingers of his other hand clenching. "Get changed. I'll take you to the paramedics, deal with this, then I need to have a chat with the Spiderling."

"Tony-"

"I said, _get changed_." The man's voice was stern. Nadia obeyed, a little shocked at his tone. The billionaire was usually snarky and sarcastic. She worried that she just made things worse for Peter.

* * *

Peter looked out over the bay, watching as the ferry was guided back to land and several boats from the coast guard lingered where the ferry had almost sunk.

He tensed when he heard Iron Man fly close to his perch and land with a clank of metal.

"Is everyone okay?" The teen asked, his voice somewhat soft.

"No thanks to you."

The words made anger flare in Peter's chest and he stood up, almost glaring. " _No thanks_ to me?! Those weapons were out there and I tried to tell you about it but you _didn't listen!"_ His hands gestured wildly and his voice raised. " _None_ of this would have happened if you had just _listened_ to me!"

He stared at the suit.

 _Figures…_

"If you even cared, you'd actually _be here."_ Peter spat.

His anger was curbed quite a bit when the suit shifted to reveal Tony Stark himself. The man stepped from the suit and sniffed. His dark eyes were burning.

"And I _did_ listen kid. Who do you think called the FBI, huh?" Tony could feel the sting of Peter's words. Just when he was trying to make an effort too… "Do you know that _I_ was the _only one_ who believed in you? When everyone else said I was _crazy_ to recruit a fourteen year old kid-"

"I'm fifteen-"

 _Holy hell_. The kid even had the guts to try and stand up to him and correct him too!

"No." Tony felt the anger building up in him. "This is where you _zip it!_ Alright?! The adult is talking!" He clenched his fists to try and control himself. The kid was supposed to be raising Happy's blood pressure, not his. He took a deep breath, looking at the bay before turning back to the kid.

"What if somebody had died tonight?" His voice returned to a more normal volume. "Different story, right? Cuz that's on _you._ And if _you_ died…" God, even the thought of it made him clench his teeth. "I feel like that's on _me._ I don't need that on my conscience." He folded his arms. This conversation was leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

Peter started weakly sputtering out an apology, but Tony just didn't want to hear it.

"Sorry _doesn't_ cut it." The kid just wasn't getting it.

"I just… I just wanted to be like you."

Christ the kid was looking at him with puppy eyes.

"I wanted you to be _better."_ Tony let out a breath and the image of his little Sabs wincing and hissing while someone treated her burn came to his mind. He shook his head. "You know, your trainee who was _actually_ here for you the whole time? Even when you tried to _ditch_ her?" He looked at Peter severely. This had to get the kid to understand just what his recklessness could do. "The blast from the weapon almost cost her an _arm_."

The teen's eyes widened and he gasped out, "Wh-What?"

"She was lucky she got away with just a minor burn. I'm saving the arm I'm working on right now." He muttered the second sentence. "Okay. This isn't working out. I'm going to need the suit back." He had to look away this time, the kid was shaking his head and looked like he was going to turn on the water works.

"F-For how long?" Peter said pitifully.

"For-ever." Tony said sternly, enunciating the word.

"No. No. Please- please. I'm nothing without this suit." The teen pleaded.

That sentence disappointed the billionaire. He really thought the kid had the potential to be more than him. He hated to think he made a mistake…

* * *

Peter walked the streets of New York with his shoulders slumped. He dragged his feet even when he knew it would be best to get home sooner. How was he going to face May?

 _Oh God… How am I going to face May?_

An ambulance rushed passed him as he waited for the walk light to turn green.

 _Nadia… Mr. Stark said she almost lost an arm because of me._

Peter felt the guilt weighing down on his shoulders.

 _I messed up. I really, **really** messed up!_

Sparks from an alley caught his attention and made him look at an alley. A portal formed and Nadia stepped through, wearing a shirt and jeans.

"Peter! Thank the gods I finally found you! May's been worried sick and she's been panicking all afternoon." The young woman typed a quick text to May saying she was with Peter and that she would bring him straight to their apartment.

The teen hardly heard a word Nadia was saying, staring at the bandage wrapped around her forearm. "H-How bad is it?" He asked fearfully, his voice cracking as he felt the guilt and regret in his chest double.

"It's nothing. I can heal it later. We need to get you home first." Nadia said, doing her best to assure Peter.

He gulped. He _really_ didn't want to find out just how mad May was at him… but he had to sooner or later.

Nadia looked at the teen, his posture defeated and his eyes flickered only to the sky and the ground. "I'll portal us a few blocks away from your apartment. We can walk the rest of the way, alright?"

"Th-Thanks…" He muttered, still not looking straight at her.

* * *

Peter didn't say anything else during the walk, busy berating himself in his head.

How? How could Nadia still watch over him like some kind of guardian angel when he made things weird between them? Even when he avoided her. She still showed up when he needed her and helped even when he didn't know she was there.

Nadia caught him glancing at her injury every few minutes.

"Peter…" Nadia started, but she just wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to sit beside Peter while he was looking over the bay earlier, but she knew her presence wouldn't exactly help. She'd compromised with herself, slipping into the mirror dimension before settling beside Peter's perch.

She heard what Stark had said, how he used her to guilt the teen to try and make him understand the weight of what could have happened because of his recklessness. She heard him plead and almost break when Stark took away his suit.

 _Gods..._

They spent the rest of the walk in tense silence. When they reached Peter's door and reached up to knock, Nadia couldn't take it.

"Peter… Please look at me. Don't shut me out. I'm still your friend, you can still talk to me… If- If you want to." She shook, thinking that Peter would feel too awkward around her to confide in her anymore. Nadia did not like the idea that she just might have to melt into the shadows again and support Peter from there. She didn't like it… but if it was what Peter needed.

Slowly, hesitantly, he looked up.

His eyes were red rimmed and he still didn't say anything. He just stepped forward and slumped his forehead on her shoulder. He was shaking slightly, making her instinctively run her hands through his hair.

May opened the door, but Peter didn't budge.

"Oh my God! Thank you for bringing him home, Nadia." The woman's voice shook.

"It's no problem, May. He's fine." Nadia said softly, putting her hands on Peter's shoulders.

May just nodded and walked back into the apartment.

Nadia squeezed Peter's shoulders to catch his attention. Reluctantly, she nudged him into the apartment. "You know where to find me."

The teen looked miserable and Nadia just wanted to hug him and try to comfort him, but he needed to have his talk with May.

It was hard to walk away, but she did, and a moment later, she heard the door shut.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Okay... do Peter and Nadia's behaviors match with their situation? (The awkwardness of the confession and how they're sort of dancing around it) And if you connected the dots too, as mentioned in the earlier A/N, say so in a review. I think I may have made the hints a little too subtle._**

 ** _Reviews, thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, and comments are always welcome. I love to know what you guys think of this chapter or of the story in general._**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: Okay, running a bit low on steam for this story. Hopefully a little bit of inspiration strikes and makes it easier to come up with more ideas for the next chapters. Don't worry too much, I do have a general idea of what is going to happen till the end of Homecoming. I admit, this chapter was a little hard to churn out. I'm not that satisfied with it, but I hope that you find it good enough.**_

 ** _Thanks again to everyone who read, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts and favorites-_**

 ** _HwGenius, LoveFiction 2018, and Little-Miss-Anime-Luva._**

 ** _Anyway, on with the story~_**

* * *

Things settled down after that. Other than Ned asking questions about the Wraith, there wasn't much superhero-ing for Peter.

"So… is she patrolling while you're grounded?"

"Yeah…" Peter said while he and Ned had lunch. He seemed a bit down about that too- that Nadia could go out while he couldn't.

Then again, this was sort of his payment for making everybody worry.

Plus, just because he couldn't suit up didn't mean that the people of Queens deserved any less a sense of safety than they had when he was patrolling as Spider-man. Wraith would just have to pick up his rounds when she could.

May had restricted him to school and the apartment for now and the foreseeable future.

Even with the days being as normal as they could have been, focusing on class and getting to properly hang out with Ned for the first time in forever, his break was tainted by the guilt that niggled at the back of his mind. He hadn't really talked to Nadia yet. He hadn't apologized and he already had to Mr. Stark and to May…

He didn't want to admit that he was trying to put off visiting her because he was still embarrassed about telling her that he liked her.

God… He knew he needed to be the mature adult that he kept trying to convince everyone he was and just suck it up.

* * *

Nadia was surprised when Peter appeared at her doorstep. She ushered him in and gestured to the living room. He sat on the armchair while she took her place on the couch. Stevie immediately placed his head on Peter's lap, glad to see the teen again. Peter pet the dog and scratched his ears.

A few moments of silence passed that way. The young woman didn't talk and just waited patiently for Peter to gather his thoughts and speak first.

"I- I just… I just wanted t-to say I'm-I'm sorry, Nadia." He forced himself to look at her now, pouring as much sincerity in his tone as possible. "For making you w-worry again a-and for letting you g-get hurt." He looked down at his hands, wringing his fingers together.

"I was r-reckless and I b-broke my promise like it was n-nothing. Mr. Stark said you almost… you almost lost your arm! God! I was such an idiot!" He didn't want to look up and see her disappointment in him.

"Alright… Alright, Peter. Apology accepted." Nadia nodded. "I'm glad you're taking responsibility. But…" She paused, "It's going to take me a bit to fully trust you again. You made a promise to call me whenever something big goes down, when you need back-up, and you broke it in just a few days." She sighed heavily. "Not that I can really blame you for avoiding me…"

The young woman looked at Peter and made sure he was looking at her too. "I'm really sorry too, Peter…"

He knew what she was talking about. His cheeks turned somewhat red, but he nodded, accepting the apology. "It's… It's o-okay. I-I guess… I don't know what I was ex-expecting." It was Peter's turn to sigh. "Well… a part of me kind of knew what you were going to say, really."

They both stayed silent for a while.

"You're a good kid Peter. You're cute as a button and have a good heart, but I see you as a little brother." The teen winced at the description. "A kickass little brother." Nadia tried to amend.

Peter smiled at the effort.

"And… there are some things about me that you need to know." Nadia shifted in her seat and gave Peter a sheepish smile. "You know how my mom is physically younger because of her magic, right?"

Peter stared at her for a moment… then it clicked and his mouth fell open as his brain came to a conclusion. "Nadia… how… h-how old are you? R-really?" He could feel his cheeks heating up. He should have made a connection in the first place. She'd told him that her mom's magic messed with her aging and Nadia used magic! It was extremely obvious now that he thought about it.

Nadia coughed… "Well… The truth is… you know how everybody mistakes me for an eighteen or nineteen-year-old? That's my biological age, yes… but I was born on April 7… 1990."

Peter's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"When I turned fifteen, I started aging about half as fast as a normal person. It's the same for my mom and grandmother. Though, they both age even slower."

"You're twenty-six…" Peter's face turned absolutely crimson and he tried to hide behind his hands. If he felt mortified before, nothing would come even close to now. Three years more than her proclaimed age wasn't much, but if felt like a hell lot now that he knew she was actually above twenty-five. "Oh gosh… oh gosh…"

Nadia did her best to give a sympathetic smile while she held back her urge to chuckle at his adorable awkwardness. "Peter, I've gone through those phases, just like you. It's not uncommon to develop a crush on an older role model." She really did her best not to laugh. Peter couldn't take any more embarrassment.

"I'm flattered, and I really think you'd make any girl happy. You know, when I think about it, all you need to do is at least be just as sweet and caring as you usually are to me, your future girlfriend will love you forever." Nadia smiled, biting her lip. She couldn't help teasing him a bit. He was just too adorable.

Peter groaned. "Can we _pleeeaaaase_ change the topic now? Ned said the same thing-"

Nadia's playful smile turned into a Cheshire grin. "Ned did too? Then it means it must be true! How's are things with Liz?"

Peter shot up from his seat stiffly. "O-Okay! May said I can't stay out t-too long. I'm-I'm still grounded." Peter tried to talk over Nadia's teasing.

"You're a good looking kid, Peter. Explore your options. Actually, if you ask me in ten years, we'll be the same biological age!" She called out just before the door to her apartment shut loudly.

Peter speed walked down the hallway, but he still caught Nadia's last quip.

* * *

There was still a bit of hesitance in Peter when he had to talk to Nadia. It was still a bit awkward for him, but their talk and her determination not to let things change between them was so strong, it helped ease his tension.

 _"It's not awkward if you don't make it awkward."_ She'd said. And she didn't. She acted completely normal towards him… though maybe it would take himself a bit longer to get over it completely.

She texted him once or twice every other day as though to nudge him saying it was okay to contact her like before.

 **Nadia: So… it took me a while,  
but I figured Ned named me Wraith.**

It was a casual subject, so it was easy to reply.

 **Peter: Yeah. He's actually a bit worried you  
don't like it.**

 **Nadia: I never really had a specific hero name  
in mind. I just thought that if it spontaneously  
happened, I'd roll with it, like Iron Man.**

 **Peter: So… You do like it? Ned keeps freaking  
out about it.**

A grinning emoji punctuated the start of Nadia's next reply.

 **Nadia: He picked something that sounds pretty  
cool, so I'm more than okay with it.**

Well, that would solve one of his problems. Ned's constant questioning was getting a bit old. He'd tell him later at lunch.

* * *

Nadia sighed and stepped through a portal into her apartment. She had been taking later patrols while Peter was currently benched, starting at around 8pm and going home at one or two in the morning. More dangerous crimes happened when the night settled in, and she left the smaller crimes for the police.

Unsurprisingly, a lamp in her living room was switched on. Her mother still had Outsider duties, so she came and went, usually when Nadia was at work, then spend time with her daughter during the afternoons and early evenings. Anya even went on patrol with her sometimes.

"Mom, you should-"

Nadia froze at the entrance to her kitchen, looking at the person sitting at the couch. The figure's long silver grey hair shone in the dim light of the living room.

"Nadia…" The woman greeted softly with a wide smile, blue grey eyes bright.

Said young woman dashed forward and vaulted over the back of the couch, wrapping her arms tightly around the slight woman in a hug.

" _Maica_ …" Nadia whispered the old, familiar Romanian endearment, arms wrapping tighter. "You were asleep for _so_ long."

The woman chuckled before holding Nadia at arm's length. "You're so big now. Your mother tells me you've taken up the Outsider title too. Peter Parker, huh? A little late, but a good choice." She nodded approvingly. "If I hadn't arrived so early in the timeline, I would have watched over him, too." Her expression turned concerned. "How are you?"

"I… It's been a _hell_ of a roller coaster…" Nadia said softly. "But I promise, I'm okay and it's been well worth everything, grandma."

The woman chuffed, waving a hand. "Please don't call me that, Nadia. You know it makes me feel _old_." She looked tired. Her eyes were too haunted for the thirty-seven year old face she had.

"Of course, Renny." Nadia hugged her grandmother again. She shook slightly before she asked. "Is… D-Does this mean that the war is almost here?"

Renny ran her hand through her granddaughter's dark hair.

That was all the answer Nadia needed. The two Capellis shifted so Nadia leant her head on her grandmother's shoulder. They sat in the comfortable silence.

"You're going to see him, right?" Nadia asked.

The silver haired woman let out a long breath, "I hope he remembers me." She smiled fondly. "Though just seeing that mug of his will be enough for me. I want to see him freak out over my two lovely girls too." She grinned, kissing Nadia on the forehead.

The young woman was happy for her grandmother. Perennial Capelli more than deserved what few moments of happiness she could get for everything she sacrificed and for all the pain she endured for so many years…

Every single second before all hell broke loose.

* * *

 _Spend some time with your dad, too. He wants to. I can tell._

The young woman sighed. Why did she listen to her grandmother?

 _Because she has a point._

Why would Tony Stark want to spend any time with a daughter he never got to know? Then again… when she thought hard about it…

The visit to her apartment before Berlin.

The Stark phone.

The moments he sent her silly messages or pictures.

The second Stark phone after the first was lost in the bay.

He was reaching out to her. It was subtle and infrequent, but he was.

Did he know who she was _exactly_ when he first popped up in her apartment?

Then she remembered the look in his eyes and his concern when he saw the burn on her arm the day of the ferry incident.

His angry tone when he confronted Peter about her almost losing her arm then.

Maybe he did…

She didn't know how she could possibly "spend some time" with Tony. He didn't really do mushy stuff, he said so himself.

It wasn't like she could just ask him if he wanted to _hang out_ or something… He was a busy man, right?

She groaned… what was she supposed to do? Was she overly complicating things? She chuckled. Tony was a _very_ complicated man.

Nadia stared at her phone.

A meme maybe? A GIF?

Fluffy or inspirational things wouldn't work. He'd just roll his eyes or scoff.

And you needed a somewhat insulting sort of humor to get to the billionaire…

Wait… she'd seen something before. When her grandmother showed her something that made her laugh.

She snorted and did a short search on the internet. It didn't take long to find what she was looking for.

 **Nadia: This can add some pizazz to your suiting up.**

She attached a video link and sent it to Tony.

It was a start. This was the first time she initiated contact with billionaire that wasn't related to superhero-ing.

She just finished a double shift at the café and she was getting ready for another patrol. Her mother and grandmother were going with her this time. She was going to give them the night-time version of the Queens-slash-New York. They needed this time to spend together too. The three Capellis had been on their own separate paths for too long.

 **TS: I'm getting you back, Sabs. Rhodey saw your  
little message, and I don't think he's going to be  
letting it go any time soon.**

Nadia snorted. She could imagine the man teasing his billionaire best friend about the Sailor-moon-esque Iron Man transformation.

 **TS: Besides, maybe I'll hire Michael Bay to counter  
that idiotic display. My background would be more  
like explosions and AC/DC.**

From the kitchen, Anya and Renny watched the youngest Capelli tap at her phone. Renny was smiling. Anya sighed.

"Come on, Anya." Renny nudged the other woman. "Let Nadia have her chance at connecting with her father."

Anya just shook her head and her shoulders drooped in acceptance. "I know, I just never really liked Stark, even if I claimed his fate from the Archives."

Renny tilted her head. "Then why did you?"

"It was only ever because I thought Nadia still deserved to get to know her father… after he changed at least a little." Anya answered, rolling her eyes. "He may have gotten better… but his cocky attitude still rubs me the wrong way."

Renny chuckled. She understood. Tony was a great character on screen, but she thought if she was in the same room as the man himself and had to deal with his personality, she'd probably find it a challenge before she got used to it enough to find it amusing in person. "He's a good man, you know that, Anya. A douchebag and a bastard at times, but good."

Anya didn't reply. The eldest Capelli caught the look in her daughter's eyes when she observed Nadia exchanging messages with Tony. The silver haired woman stepped forward, she had to look up slightly to meet Anya's blue eyes.

Anya really took after Bucky in that aspect. That and his height. Renny smiled softly. "Just give me a little time. I promise you'll get to know your father, too. I just want to spend some time with my girls because, God knows, I'll be obsessed with Bucky to pay any attention to you two once-"

"Mother!" Anya winced.

"You are a grown ass woman, Anya. And Nadia told me about you teasing her about Peter Parker. So that's her payback for her." Renny laughed.

Nadia was pulled from her text conversation with Tony and Rhodey (Yes, the man actually texted her to thank her personally, so now she had War Machine's number) by her grandmother's almost cackle.

"Let's get going you two. I want to get a good stretch after sleeping for so long." The eldest Capelli stretched her arms forward and up, the bronze vambraces back on her forearms.

"Sure, grandma." Nadia grinned, conjuring and stepping through a portal before Renny barreled right after.

Anya smiled and chuckled, following through the portal.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Okay... Is it obvious my muse is being a bit lazy? I really hope this chapter was okay. How was the Capelli family bonding? I'm very open to other ideas and suggestions. What Nadia and Tony might do to bond... I really need some ideas in that department. Next chapter might be a little more of the in-between or break days before the Homecoming dance. If I don't get any more ideas for the characters' down time, I'll most likely move straight into the Homecoming night. Huh... so this story will probably end in two or three chapters._**

 ** _If you want to see what Nadia sent to Tony, just search up "iron man sailor moon". It'll pop up immediately on google or youtube._**

 _ **As for the separate Steve-Bucky-Renny story, I already do have a chapter or two typed out. When I publish, the first two chapters or so will be excerpts of the flashbacks from this story to set some background before I publish the chapters that detail other events. Fair warning, the chapters for this story will most likely be very short and not in chronological order.**_

 ** _Reviews, thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, and comments are always welcome. I love to know what you guys think of this chapter or of the story in general._**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: Okay, this chapter took me a little while longer to post since I was super busy with school. I'm actually currently working on my thesis. Hahaha. Funny, trying to do both that and fanfiction at the same time. Well... this is my stress relief.**_

 _ **Anyway, this is the final chapter before we get to the big confrontation. Thank you again to all those who read and added this story to their favorites and alerts. Thanks especially to those who took the time to review:**_

 _ **LoveFiction2018, Little-Miss-Anime-Luva, and Reena.**_

 _ **Special thanks to Little-Miss-Anime-Luva for giving me an idea for Tony and Nadia's meeting. :)**_

 ** _On with the story!_**

* * *

 **Liz: Hi Nadia. This might seem a little out of the blue, but are you free this Friday?**

Nadia wondered what Liz Allen might need her for. Before she could ask, her phone buzzed again.

 **Liz: I know it's kind of sudden, but one of the teachers who was going to chaperone for Homecoming had to go out of town fora family emergency. I tried asking some of the parents, but they're all unavailable.**

 **Liz: I was wondering if you could fill in?**

 **Liz: You don't have to wear a dress or anything too fancy.**

 **Liz: I know it can be hard to find something in such short notice. I'm sorry.**

Nadia laughed and quickly replied before the girl rambled more. She must have been stressed and panicking quite a bit because homecoming was just a day away.

 **Nadia: Easy there Liz. I'd love to have an excuse to wear a nice dress. It's been a while and it just so happens I'm free to chaperone this Friday.**

 **Liz: Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver! See you.**

Nadia stuck her phone back in her pocket. It really wasn't good etiquette to have it out during work hours. Even if she had to be ready if Peter suddenly contacted her for some emergency.

Not that there really were going to be any emergencies with what she knew of the timeline. Things were calm until Homecoming. She could try looking for a nice dress after work. That would actually be nice. Her mom and grandmother could come with her and they could do something that wasn't related to being an Outsider or a superhero.

At least now she had a valid reason to be at the dance, other than just waiting around for the fighting to start. She could save Midtown High a few school buses.

Her phone buzzed several more times in her pocket, but she ignored it. It was most likely Liz texting her other details that she might need to know about the dance.

During Nadia's fifteen-minute break, she took out the gadget again. Most of the texts were indeed from the high school girl, but the last one was from Tony.

 **TS: I need you here for a progress , you can give me a few notes on something.**

She raised her eyebrow. She could always give him a progress report through a video chat if he wanted it a bit more face to face. But what was the something he wanted notes on? Her phone vibrated again, another message from Tony popping up.

 **TS: Happy will pick you up in an hour.**

Nadia winced. She couldn't bail on her job again. She just took two double shifts earlier that week.

 **Nadia: My shift ends at 3. I can save Happy the trouble and just portal there after work.I'll arrive at practically the same time if Happy picks me up and we drive up there.**

 **TS: Is your job at the coffee shop really that interesting? The Avengers facility is SO much more interesting and I'm the king of fun.**

She could imagine Tony's pout and petulant expression.

 **Nadia: You may not understand, but I do like my job. This phone is secure, right? Give me the facility coordinates and a picture of the front lawn.**

She felt the need to assure Tony, so she followed up with,

 **Nadia: I promise I'll go straight there.**

 **TS: You respect lawn maintenance, right?Don't burn magic circles on the grass.**

* * *

When her shift ended, Nadia waved to Hannah and left the café. Finding a dead ended alley, she cast a disillusionment charm on the opening before spell-switching out of her uniform and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She always had a casual outfit hanging in her closet if she needed to change into something inconspicuous.

Inspecting her clothes, she made sure she was dressed alright. She checked the location sent to her and focused, opening a portal, and stepping through.

* * *

 **:Boss, a strange energy-based anomaly is occurring at section 1-B of the facility. It's similar to the signature I recorded from the Staten Island ferry incident.:**

 _That'll be Sabrina._

Tony grinned, "FRIDAY, pull up the feed on the front lawn. A virtual screen materialized in front of him before the AI's voice spoke up again.

 **:I just want to remind you, Boss. You haven't told informed Agent Hill about miss Capelli's impromptu visit.:**

* * *

Nadia put her hands up, hearing the sound of a gun being readied and aimed at her. Several clicks followed.

"Hold it right there, girl. You're trespassing on private property. State your name and your purpose here."

Nadia sighed, but complied. "I'm Nadia Capelli. I'm here because Tony Stark called me here."

Maria Hill raised an eyebrow, inspecting the girl. "Ten paces forward." She ordered.

A closer look at the intruder's face made it apparent why the resident billionaire genius might want the girl.

"Goddammit, Tony." Maria hissed under her breath.

 **:I take it she can enter the facility without getting shot at now?:**

The former SHIELD agent put a hand over her comms earpiece, "You know you're supposed to clear these things with me, Stark." She growled, frustrated.

 **:Well technically, I own this facility, so…:**

She pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a slow breath to center herself, "Where do you want her?"

Hill signaled the other to put down their arms and walked toward Nadia, who took on a relaxed pose.

"He didn't call ahead, did he?" The young woman asked, a little exasperated.

"That's Stark for you, always breaking protocol." The older woman held out her hand. "Maria Hill."

The young woman smiled. "Nadia." After giving the agent a firm handshake, she quipped, "That must be a real pain in the ass."

Maria smiled inwardly. She liked this girl. She gestured with a hand and Nadia obediently followed her as they entered the facility.

"Stark said he'll meet you in one of the training rooms." Hill informed, taking her to a wide area, similar to a gym. Though most of it was open space, the floor was lined with mats and one wall was lined with metal targets.

"Weird… he said he wanted a progress report." Nadia wondered out loud, pausing at the door.

"Ah, so you're Happy's assistant on Stark's little pet project. You're monitoring the Spider-man?"

Nadia could only manage a nod. "He's benched for now, but-" Before she could say anything else, Tony sauntered in.

"Easy there Hill. Stop grilling Sabs, she's fine. Did a background check on her myself a couple of months ago." The billionaire rolled his eyes before patting Nadia on the shoulder.

"Sabrina."

"Stark."

"What did I say about-"

"Why am I here, Tony?" Nadia said, suspicious, crossing her arms.

The man grinned. "See? Was that so hard?"

"Answer the question, Stark." Hill said, "If she was going to give you a progress report, you could have used the conference room."

Tony groaned and put up his hands, "I thought women loved engaging in small talk before getting to the point?"

"Tony…" Nadia said exasperatedly.

"Get to the point, Stark." Maria prodded.

"Alright, geez! I never got to do a proper skills assessment. Which is why we're here." The man gestured to the space around him.

"O-kay then…" Nadia stepped to the middle of the space a little unsure at first before shrugging. She guessed that she could do a few spells here safely. A part of her had to admit that it would be cool to show off for her father who was a bonafide superhero.

"Sailor moon!" Someone called out.

The nickname made both Tony and Nadia look up. James Rhodes waved from a viewing deck on the second floor.

"I actually just wanted to see who'd look first." The dark man chuckled. "Nice to see you made it in, kid."

"Sailor moon?" Hill looked questioningly at Tony. Nadia laughed softly.

"Hey Hill, can I borrow a recruit? I wanna see what Sabs can do when it comes to hand to hand." The billionaire ignored the question while whacking Nadia on the back of the head.

"Child abuse!" The young woman said adamantly, pointing at the man.

"Sure…" The former agent said reluctantly. "As long as I can watch. She might have a skill set we can use on missions." The woman walked out, tapping away at a tablet.

Nadia balked at that. "Tony… I'm not an Avenger."

"You're not one _now_ but-"

"Stark, that's not what I'm saying. I won't be an Avenger." Nadia said firmly. The war was close at hand and her responsibility was to Peter and being an Outsider. She couldn't give her time to missions… yet.

If she saw the end of the infinity war, she would be glad to give some of her time and lend her skills to missions.

Tony hummed. "Are you sure? The benefits are great, and the health plan includes dental." When he saw Nadia's bland expression, he sighed. "Let's just see what you can do first then."

* * *

"Decently skilled in hand to hand… She's a good shot with the basic standard arms. Now for any special skills." Hill looked at Nadia. "Super skills." She clarified.

Nadia shuffled a bit. "Ah, well… Mystical arts. Like magic."

The other woman just nodded. "Alright then. Maybe we should go outside-"

"Nope." Tony interrupted. "I have some special targets that will measure her energy output, impact, you know… stuff like that." He pointed to the far wall Nadia noticed earlier.

"Hit hard." The billionaire instructed before moving to join Rhodey at the second floor.

Nadia shrugged. Tony really didn't need to worry about accidentally getting hit by something, but she guessed the man was just being cautious. She'd start with a few simple projectile and cutting spells. She could save her flashier and more dangerous tricks for later.

"Tony…" Rhodey looked at his friend suspiciously. "What did you do?"

His question was punctuated by the sound of the metal targets being hit.

The genius looked affronted and he leaned on the balcony. "You're being paranoid, Rhodey." He watched intently as Nadia made her way down the line of targets, hitting them with different spells.

"Really? Tony, I know you. Why are you up here instead of-"

A loud metallic crunch wouldn't have been out of place considering the barrage the young magic wielder was launching, but it was immediately followed by the sudden sound of something gushing and Nadia's yelp of, "Crap! Tony! What the hell!"

When Rhodey looked back down at the main training room floor, the mats near the target area were not visible, covered with several feet of glittery pink foam.

Tony howled with laughter, "FRIDAY, can you pull up the feed of that?"

His phone projected a small holographic screen playing the video of Nadia shooting the targets with magic projectiles. When she reached the third target from the end of the line, she launched a series of baseball sized orbs that hit the metal, which set off the sudden gush of foam.

The man was laughing so hard, he didn't notice the small ring of sparks forming beneath his feet.

"Tony…" Rhodey sang, realizing what was about to happen. He grinned slyly.

It was the billionaire's turn to yelp as he fell through the portal on the floor… and landed in the sea of foam.

Nadia laughed from her own perch on a magical platform a few inches above the spill. The front of her outfit was coated in pink and some glitters from the initial burst. She managed to avoid getting completely soaked by jumping up on her conjured step.

"She's good, Tony." Rhodey laughed, looking at the Stark-shaped impression on the foam. "You got him, Sailor Moon!" He praised, raising a hand.

The young woman looked up and grinned, gesturing with her own hand to give the man an air high five.

"What the hell?!" Maria Hill walked back into the room, having left momentarily to take care of a certain matter among the recruits. She shook her head, "No. Never mind. I don't know why I'm surprised. You're cleaning this up, Stark."

Rhodey and Nadia laughed even more. The magic-user fell to her hands and knees because she was laughing so hard. Suddenly, a hand reached out of the foam and grabbed her forearm.

The shock made her slip easily when she was pulled, falling back into the spill.

Being sneaky devolved into an all-out foam fight now that both the billionaire and the magic-user were in the mess.

Rhodey had a small, happy smile on his face as he watched the interaction. Maybe Tony planned the prank, but the dark skinned man though some part of his friend may have secretly wanted something like this.

 _"She's my kid, Rhodey…"_

 _"What?!" He'd shaken his head to try and get rid of the shock of Tony actually admitting to something like that. "Well… Not that I'm saying it's not possible. Heck, I know you used to be bombarded with all kinds of demands for paternity tests and claims." Rhodey looked his friend in the eye, wanting to know the answer to one thing. "Why her?"_

 _Tony paused for a moment before shrugging. "Because… I found her. Not intentionally, but **I** did. **She** never came looking for me…" The man scoffed. "It's weird. I'm Tony freaking Stark. Who wouldn't want to get to know me? She knew about me being her Darth Vader and she didn't even try to get to me."_

Something about that hurt his friend on some level, though the genius would never admit it. It also relieved him at the same time.

Tony had wondered…

Was it because of how he was? Did Nadia not want anything to do with him?

Tony didn't know how to deal with kids. If he found out about Nadia when she was a baby or a toddler, he would have simply thrown money at the issue before completely forgetting about it.

But Nadia was a young woman, which the man sort of knew how to deal with. He just needed to modify his behavior into a bit of a father role instead of a douchebag playboy.

Rhodey was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the ring of sparks that formed under his own feet.

* * *

When Nadia portalled back to her apartment that evening, she was in a recruit's fatigues. A black shirt and cargo pants.

Tony wasn't that bad. He had to tone down his sarcasm and biting humor at times, but he could be bearable and pretty fun when he wanted to be. Or maybe it was because she got an overview of what he was like from the Archives? Nadia had expected a bit of the worst, but he actually tried to be sort of… nice.

He was trying.

And that made her feel warm and fuzzy.

She smiled and took out her phone, which she had ended up mostly ignoring for the few hours she was at the facility.

One text was from her mother, saying that she and her grandma were visiting the Archives and would be late in. The second was from Peter. Reading it made her smile turn into a wide, Cheshire grin.

 **Peter: I asked Liz to homecoming.**

"That boy…" Nadia chuckled. He could face speeding cars, and willingly give himself up to get shot. He was brave. It looked like he was finally able to apply that bravery to talking to his longtime high school crush.

 **Nadia: That's great, Peter! What are you going to wear? You should ask Liz too so you can get her a nice matching corsage.**

 **Peter: Oh gosh. What AM I gonna wear?!**

 **Nadia: I'm absolutely sure that May would love to help you out.**

 **Peter: Uh… Can you help me out? Or give me some advice? I have a feeling May will go a little crazy with helping.**

The young woman shook her head. This was a very good bonding opportunity for Peter and his aunt. They needed it after things got a little tense after the ferry incident.

 **Nadia: I can't possibly take away May's opportunity to fuss over her beloved nephew.**

 **Nadia: Listen, if you do find out Liz's dress color,I'll take care of the corsage. I can portal it to your place tomorrow afternoon.**

Homecoming is… _tomorrow_!

"Crap!" She'd completely forgotten for a moment that she'd agreed to chaperone for the dance. She would have had time to get something nice, but she still had her job.

It looked like she missed her opportunity to dress up a bit. She never liked rushing to buy things and she only had time to work on getting the corsage she promised Peter.

She sighed wistfully. When had she last bought something nice and not conjured it? Jeans and a dressy blouse would have to do.

* * *

When Nadia finished her work for the day, she portalled home from the same alley she used the day before.

She, her grandma, and her mom had worked on a simple but beautiful corsage for Liz. Because of the loss that was coming her way, the two older Capellis had put extra enchantments on the flower like Disney fairy godmothers. Liz was a nice girl after all.

Now, it was time to get ready. Her robes were hanging in the closet and she went over a few precautions with Anya and Renny for emergency back-up.

Nadia did her best not to think too much on the upcoming confrontation with Toomes because it would make her worry and start overthinking. The two older Capellis knew this, so they distracted her with a simple question, "What are you wearing to the dance?"

The youngest Capelli said that she had a good pair of dark jeans and a powder blue ruffled blouse somewhere in her closet.

Anya nodded, thinking that it was both practical and somewhat dressy enough. Renny said that homecoming was made for dresses.

"I don't have any more time to go buy something now though. I told Liz I would be early to help with the last minute set up to give her some time to get ready for the night."

When she opened the door to her room, she was surprised to see a black shopping bag on top of her bed. A piece of paper was taped to it.

Nadia's breath caught in her throat when she read the note.

 ** _A Stark should always dress to impress._**

 ** _-TS_**

She grinned and shook her head at the same time, a little moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Alrighty... so this was more of a filler chapter so Nadia could get some bonding time with Tony. Hope I got Tony's character alright. It's always a bit of a challenge getting his personality just right._**

 ** _For those asking, this story will end at the end of Homecoming but will probably have an extra chapter to just wrap things up nicely until Infinity War comes out and I see it. I don't think I'm creative enough to make my own version of how that turns out, so I won't be continuing this story into an AU. So this story will end in around two chapters._**

 ** _I did also already publish the accompanying story that involves the first gen trio. It's entitled "The Second Sun". It's still mostly introductory so that people won't have to read GTKS to understand The Second Sun._**

 ** _Reviews, thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, and comments are always welcome. I love to know what you guys think of this chapter or of the story in general. Question: What do you think the outfit Tony got for Nadia would look like?_**

 ** _'Til next time~_**


	25. Chapter 25: Homecoming

_**A/N: Phew... Sorry it took so long for me to post this. First school finals, then I was out of town for a week. Anyway, this is the second to the last chapter, and I know I shouldn't delay. Thanks again to everyone who read, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts and favorites. Here it is-  
**_

* * *

 **HOMECOMING**

* * *

Nadia stepped out of her room, her mother and grandmother turning to look at her.

"Well, look at you." Renny smiled widely. "Tony has Howard's sense of style, I'll tell you that." Her expression turned wistful for a moment.

The youngest Capelli brightened and gave a turn. "Don't give Tony all the credit though. I'm sure Pepper had a hand in this." She chuckled. She was in a burgundy dress, the hem ending a few inches above her knees. The belt at her waist, her leggings, and ankle boots were black. Gold buckles accented her belt and footwear.

The three mentally agreed that Tony probably pushed for a hot rod red instead of the deep wine colored one she now had.

"Vain as always." Anya sighed at the color scheme.

Nadia groaned, "Mom…"

After a moment, the woman shook her head and gave her daughter a small smile. "Yes, I know. He's trying." Anya tucked the stray strands of Nadia's hair behind her ear. The young woman's hair was in a simple high ponytail.

"My girls." Renny stepped forward and hugged the two. They all relished the moment before she stepped back. "I know I've always been strict about pictures with the three of us together, but I think we should start taking a few. It's a big night for you, after all, Nadia."

Yes… tonight was the crucial confrontation between Peter and Toomes. The youngest Capelli was only there to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happened… well… aside from the inevitable fight.

The three Capellis stood close together, Renny casting a spell to make the camera hang in the air when she let go.

Renny pulled her silver ponytail over her shoulders, grey blue eyes sparkling as she put her arms around her girls, lips in a wide grin.

Anya looked so much like a younger version of her mother, even when she stood almost a whole head taller. Long, ash brown hair flowing down her back, a smile in her blue eyes even when her lips were only slightly quirked.

Nadia grinned as wide as her grandmother. Her dark hair and hazel eyes so different from the two women beside her and her facial features a little more like her father's.

The camera clicked, capturing the moment in a polaroid.

It was the first and only picture of the three of them together.

* * *

Nadia pulled on her black blazer when the night began to fall. She stood by the long buffet table beside the punch bowl, observing the dance floor filling with Midtown High students. A band was playing loudly in the background and multicolored lights were flashing.

After a while, the young woman spotted Ned talking with Michelle and Abraham by the dance floor. It was the girl who spotted Nadia by the long buffet table. Nadia waved and smiled, Michelle turned to Ned and tapped his shoulder, pointing.

The boy jumped a bit when he looked over his shoulder, Nadia walking towards their group with a wide grin.

"Nadia!" Ned greeted, surprise clear on his face. "Not that it's not nice to see you, but why are you here? Nice outfit…" He examined the A-line dress that the young woman was wearing for a moment. "I thought Peter asked Liz…" He muttered.

Nadia immediately put her hands up, glad that the rest of the group didn't hear Ned's last comment over the loud music. "I'm just here to chaperone." She said slightly nervously. "I hope none of you are planning to spike the punch."

The boys chuckled. Michelle shrugged. "So you're Nadia, huh? You know Peter and Ned always talk about you? It's kinda creepy."

Abraham spoke up. "They say you make really good cookies. I didn't go to the bake sale a few months ago."

Ned stepped in to properly introduce his friends. "Nadia, this is Michelle, and this is Abe. They're part of the decathlon team, too."

Nadia smiled, "Nice meeting you guys." She shook their hands and exchanged a high five with Abe. "It's good to finally put a few faces to Ned and Peter's team mates. And, lucky for you, Ned can bring some of those cookies. I'm sure I can make an extra batch for the team. It'll be a late "congratulations" to you guys for winning the nationals." The young woman winked.

Abe pumped a fist. "Finally! I snuck one from Peter a long time ago and I couldn't get over them. Thank you!" He praised.

The young woman laughed. "You guys enjoy yourselves, okay? I better go do my rounds. Chaperone and all." She shrugged.

"See you, Nadia." The group chorused.

She only made a few steps away before Ned tapped her shoulder. "Did Peter tell you he asked Liz?"

Nadia had a cheshire grin on her face. "Considering _I_ got him the corsage for Liz, yes." She chuckled.

"So you guys are… uhhh… okay now?" Ned asked, concerned. "I kinda noticed how weird he was for a while and that he was sorta avoiding you."

Nadia's grin softened into a gentle smile. "We're okay, Ned. There's nothing to worry about. I'm really rooting for him and Liz."

"That's good." He paused to check his phone. "He's running a bit late though. I really hope he didn't get too nervous. He's had a crush on Liz for forever." Ned rambled. "Did he text you?"

Nadia shook her head. "You shouldn't worry, Ned. I'm sure he'll get here. Now you get! I can't be chatting with students for _too_ long. One of your teachers is already giving me the stink eye." Nadia nudged him towards his friends.

"Oh! Right. Okay. See you, Nadia." Ned gave one last wave before trotting back to where his friends were standing.

The young woman walked back to inspect the buffet table before doing her rounds. Back, close to the dance floor, the decathlon team discussed their encounter.

"She's nice. You said she found Peter's backpack?" Abe asked.

"Yeah. That's how Peter met her. Her dog chewed up his bag and ran away with it. Nadia replaced it and May invited her to stay over at their apartment for dinner." Ned answered.

"Flash has been jealous since he saw her at Liz's party. He keeps teasing Peter about Nadia being his babysitter. I think Flash still does because he thinks it's unfair that a college girl spends so much time with someone he thinks he's better than." Michelle looked at Nadia who had moved closer to the stage where a band was playing.

The lady seemed familiar. Especially her voice. Did she meet her before? The bake sale maybe…

* * *

Peter wished he had one of Nadia's cord bracelets right now. He had to keep it together. He couldn't freak out.

The teen had frozen for a second when the man with the wings answered the door to Liz's house.

He did everything to act normally, but the only thoughts rushing through his head were how he needed to take the head honcho of the weapons dealers down… but it was _Liz's dad_ …

The man with the wings was _Liz's dad_!

Peter barely noticed his date's dress and he couldn't muster a smile when her mom took pictures. Then… they were in a car and a dangerous criminal was driving them to homecoming.

When he thought things couldn't get any worse, the worst thing that could have happened, did.

Toomes figured it out…

 _'Nadia…'_ Peter thought hard. A cold sweat was forming on his forehead. He wished his partner really was clairvoyant or psychic, but after a few desperate moments of just mentally calling out to her, he knew he was on his own for now. He had to think and act fast.

Liz left the car and the teen vigilante was left with Toomes.

A chill ran down his spine when the man with the wings gave him a threatening smile.

 _'I'll kill you and every-one you love…'_

The teen subtly dropped his phone on the floor just as he left the car.

* * *

"Spiderboy…"

Nadia's eyes tracked Peter as he wandered through the doors. He looked dazed. Hs friends had noticed him, even gave him a wave.

That was the moment that the teen seemed to have come to a decision. Determination and regret filled his eyes. He stopped walking toward his friends, apologized to Liz, and raced off.

Liz's stance in the middle of the dance floor, shoulders dropping, hurt and confusion all over her face… Nadia felt sad for her… and for Peter too. This was supposed to be a dream night for a teenager- dressing up for homecoming, dancing with a sweet and charming date, and hanging out with friends…

Peter was determined to protect the people important to him, though… Unfortunately, this wasn't the time for him to try and be a regular teen.

Nadia realized she had been contemplating a little too long and did her best to slip away unnoticed by anyone in the gym.

By the time she jogged through the doors to the school halls, away from any prying eyes, and conjured a portal to the roof of the building overlooking the parking lot, Peter was flying through the air and hitting the side of a bus. The metal bent at the impact.

A wave of anger hit her and she immediately jumped down, putting herself between the teen and the man who punched him. The thug was already rearing for another hit. She barely got a shield up to block the blow. It only lessened the impact. Her arms snapped back painfully and the barrier shattered.

The young woman growled through the pain, fingertips once again lighting up with mystic energy. Green magic sparked at the edges.

"Hmmm… so I'm guessing you're the Wraith, huh?" The man shook his head as his fist crackled. "Another teenager trying to play hero-"

He grunted as a glowing orb hit him square in the stomach and knocked him to the ground. The force of it made him roll across the asphalt.

"Villains just love to monologue, don't they?" Nadia scowled, before turning to Peter. Her expression immediately turned concerned and she crouched beside the teen on the ground.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Peter mumbled, shaking his head and shoulders trying to recompose himself. He felt off kilter.

Nadia put a hand on his shoulder to help steady him, "Stay still-"

"But we need to-"

Nadia glared at the boy. "This'll only take a moment."

Her hand glowed gold after an incantation. "You can't fight bird man if you're not-" Her fingertips were hovering over his head and abdomen for all of three seconds before the two heard a snap and crackle, interrupted by a _thwip._

Ned stood ten feet away. A completely dumbfounded look was plastered on his face and Peter's web shooters were in his hands.

"Nice shot!" Peter cheered, bouncing up and tugging the web line. He pulled his shooters from his friends and quickly secured them to his wrists. It took just a split second for him to fire more shots at the thug to stick him to the side of the bus.

Ned gawked. "Wraith… Oh my God! Nadia's the Wraith! Everything makes so much sense now." He gushed.

"Ned! Ned! The guy with the wings is Liz's dad." Peter tried talking over the other teen.

"What?-" Ned cut himself off when he noticed how Peter was slightly doubled over. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Peter said as confidently as he could, straightening. "We gotta call Happy Hogan, he's Mr. Stark's head of security. And get a computer and track my phone for me!"

Ned nodded quickly. He sensed the urgency of the situation and held back the questions he wanted to fire when Nadia stepped beside Peter. A wave of magic swapped her dress for a set of robes and a white porcelain mask materialized in her hand.

"Hurry! We gotta catch him before he leaves town!" Peter instructed.

"Alright." Ned replied, gaze flicking between his best friend and the female vigilante who placed the mask over her face, a blue glow obscuring her eyes.

"Get going, Peter. I'll track you with this." She conjured a black cord around his wrist. "I'll make sure punchy is secure then I'll be right behind you."

Peter nodded quickly and jumped up onto a street light and swung away.

Nadia looked at his disappearing figure for a second then turned to Ned. She unlocked her phone before tossing it to the teen. "Here, Ned! This'll make things easier."

He looked down at the Stark phone in his hands. "Oh my gosh… _Wraith's phone_!" The teen shook a bit.

The female vigilante snapped her fingers in front of Ned's face. "I'm still Nadia, Ned. I promise I'll answer your questions later. Now, go!" The young woman couldn't help but bark as she conjured a spell to secure the thug and knock him out.

Ned pulled out of his trance and nodded quickly, running off in the direction of the computer lab. He threw one last look over his shoulder at Nadia… the Wraith.

Wow… Just _wow_! He was unbelievably lucky to be friends with not one, but TWO superheroes! That was absolutely awesome!-

" _Focus, Ned!"_ He berated himself, quickening his pace. There would be a time to fanboy later.

* * *

Nadia approached the man glued to the side of the bus. He sneered at her. She sighed. Money and greed did terrible things to people.

A few seconds later and the thug was knocked out. Nadia was muttering another spell. The Capellis had nicknamed it the Pensieve charm.

The young woman put her hands on the man's temples as the words of the incantation left her lips. As she slowly pulled her fingers away from his head, a translucent silvery strand followed.

Memories.

Specifically, those of him seeing Ned and Nadia and hearing their names. Peter, thanks to his mask, was still anonymous to this person. Still… she pulled the name of Midtown High and muffled Peter's voice in the man's memories.

Looking down at the information literally cupped in her hands, she muttered one more word. She knew just how dangerous even the little details could be in the wrong hands.

The silvery strands seemed to catch fire, then fizzle out of existence.

That was that.

It was time to meet up with Peter.

* * *

 **::Why do you have this phone, kid?::** Happy sounded shocked and annoyed.

"Uh… the Wraith… Nadia… She gave it to me to call you. Please-"

 **::What? She knows she can't just give this number to anyone. Hanging up-::**

"Sir, it's important! She and Peter might need-"

 **::Wait… Spiderkid and Sparkles? Are they trying to go after the weapons dealers again? No, wait…::** A bark of a chuckle came through the line. **::Sparkes isn't irresponsible. You're pulling my leg, kid. Bye.::**

The line went dead and Ned gaped for a second. He quickly shook himself out of it. Peter needed a guy in the chair, and unfortunately, they weren't getting any backup from Mr. Hogan or Ironman.

* * *

Peter's wrist grew warm and he glanced at it for a split second before he noticed sparks forming a ring above the passenger seat.

Nadia jumping through startled him a bit and made the car swerve.

"Peter! Steady now!" The young woman laughed a bit. "You should have expected me."

 **::Nadia's there?::** Ned's voice spoke out from the phone Peter had commandeered from Flash.

"Yeah. She just portalled onto the passenger seat." Peter replied, focusing again on his reckless driving.

 **::So cool- Oh! You're there already! Turn right! _Right_!::**

Peter turned the wheel sharply, making the tires screech and lift off the ground. The car overturned.

Nadia conjured a quick shield over herself while Peter instinctively jumped out of the vehicle.

"Nadia!" He cried, immediately rushing to the wrecked car. The young woman stuck her hand up and the teen pulled her to her feet.

"I'm fine." She assured, brushing herself off. "Come on. We have a canary to catch."

Peter smiled underneath his mask. Nadia was alright.

* * *

The magic user's nerves were getting to her. The moment was close. She knew it. She could feel it too.

The sight of the computer screens and the metal wings propped up on a platform didn't help.

She and Peter were sneaking through the building and they could hear someone tinkering with something at the room in the far end.

Nadia paused, clenching her fists. If she followed Peter… She wasn't sure she had the control to just talk. She itched to just tackle Toomes to the ground when she saw him. Use her magic to incapacitate the man before the particular moment she'd seen in the archives broke her heart for real. She wanted nothing more than to just stop it, but it was key to Peter's character development.

 _Somebody! I'm down here! Please! P-Please help!..._

A sob echoed in her memory.

"Nadia?" Peter looked back at her still standing by the screens. Glad her mask obscured her eyes, the young woman looked away, seemingly looking at the computers. Her nails were practically digging into her palms now.

Not trusting her voice, she pointed at the screens and gestured for him to go down ahead.

Peter hesitated, but nodded in understanding when he saw Nadia touch one glass monitor with a hand and made it spark and shut off.

He nodded. It was good thinking. If anyone else happened to find this data, they might use it against Mr. Stark.

Peter swung down to the lower level and disappeared through the entrance to another section of the building.

Nadia bit her lip.

Her hands shook as she mechanically destroyed each unit. She had to clench her fists again when she could hear the voices of both Peter and Toomes echo from the other room.

When the wings roared to life on their platform and crashed through the wall, Nadia couldn't stay still any longer. She jumped down and sprinted through the hole in the concrete.

One portal.

Just one portal and her little brother in practically everything but blood wouldn't have to experience a trauma like-

"I'm sorry, Peter."

"What are you talking about? That thing didn't even touch me yet!" The teen said loudly.

Toomes shrugged. Then he said the words that Nadia was dreading. "True. But then again, I wasn't really trying to."

The sound of cracking concrete and the building collapsing in on itself made her leap as close as she could to Peter. Without even thinking, her hand shot up.

Peter looked up at the mass plummeting down, lenses going wide. His arms shielded his head before darkness descended and dust concealed everything.

* * *

 _Pain…_

 _Pressure…_

Then again…

It was much less than Peter expected from the entire floor of a building falling on him.

He breathed in and out. The dust made him cough, choke, and feel like he was barely getting any air.

A green glow dissipated as he looked to his right. Squinting, he could see a large piece of concrete that seemed to hold up the heaviest debris from entirely crushing him into the ground. He felt extremely grateful, but he was still pinned.

Bracing his arms on the ground, he tried to push up and free himself. The debris was too heavy though.

"Nadia!" He wheezed out loudly.

She probably portalled out before everything fell apart. She'd find him.

"Nadia! Help! I'm down here! I-I can't move!" His ears were ringing a bit. Moments passed by like an eternity and he continued to suck in air like he couldn't breathe.

Where was she? She should have found him by now.

A shift and scrape grabbed his attention and he did his best to twist his head to the left. His breath caught in his throat.

Nadia was splayed out on the ground ten feet from him. Her mask was cracked, exposing one eye scrunched closed from the blood that was trickling from a gash in her hairline. Her arms were bent, glowing hands facing upwards. She shook as she strained with a half-baked spell that was barely keeping a large piece of concrete from crushing her.

"Oh God, Nadia! Hang on!"

Frantically, Peter pushed up ono his arms again, trying to lift the concrete that was pinning him. It was difficult. He strained hard, but it didn't budge.

Peter heard Nadia let out a muffled huff and whimper. It didn't take a magic user to tell that her spell was close to failing.

Panicking even more, he scratched uselessly at the ground. "Help! Help, please! Someone!" His voice cracked and he was beginning to hyperventilate.

Nadia couldn't hold on forever.

When he looked down, he caught sight of his own mask. It was half submerged in a puddle of murky water, his face looking back up at him.

 _If you're nothing without the suit, maybe you shouldn't have it._

He could do it.

He could.

Even without the suit, because he was Spiderman. Peter Parker was… is Spiderman.

If he could almost hold together an entire ferry, then he could move some concrete debris.

He took a deep, steadying breath and tried again. He pushed harder.

"Come on, Peter! Come on, Spiderman!"

Nadia had come through all the time for Peter. Wraith had come through all the time for Spiderman.

She needed him. It was his turn to come through for her.

"Come on, Spiderman!"

Peter groaned and yelled at the immense effort, but slowly, surely, the concrete on his back moved.

"Gah!" He pushed it off and he was safe.

Immediately, his body still thrumming with adrenaline, he turned to Nadia and shot two weblines at her side. He pulled just as her arms buckled and the weight she was holding crashed to the ground.

Dust filled the air again.

Nadia choked on a scream.

* * *

Peter had pulled her away just in time.

Fast…

But not fast enough.

Half of Nadia's leg was still caught under the concrete when it fell.

Peter shot to her and carefully lifted the chunk of debris while Nadia dragged herself out backwards. She winced and hyperventilated. She was doing her best to keep her tears in check. She sucked in a breath when she ripped her pant leg open.

"Nadia… Your leg-" Peter's eyes widened as he took in the cuts and the growing bruises. His sister figure wasn't enhanced like he was.

"It's okay, Peter." She said hoarsely. "I-I can deal with it." She paused, letting out a slow breath. "It'll just take time you don't have to… hover. Go! Your priority is Toomes. He'll get a lot more people hurt if he gets his hands on anything on that plane." Nadia hissed and huffed between every few words, doing her best not to vocalize her pain.

"I… but… o-okay." Peter said hesitantly, giving a shaky nod before he started away. "I'll be back, I-I promise." He said, before turning and forcing himself to exit the building quickly.

"No! I'll… I'll catch up to you!" She called after him, though she wasn't sure if he heard her.

Looking down at her badly injured leg, she grit her teeth. She bit down hard on her lip as she checked for broken bones. Thank the gods for the shielding charms on her robes, nothing was broken.

However, there were definitely several hairline fractures and some very nasty bruises. This still wasn't considered a back-up worthy emergency though, so she didn't need to worry her mother or grandmother.

Taking a deep breath and concentrating, she muttered a long spell as she gestured over her injuries. Her shaking hands glowed with her words. Heat bloomed within as magic mended bones and muscle. A soothing cool then covered her skin, lightening the bruises.

When she was done, she stood up gingerly. Putting all her weight on the uninjured leg, she slowly put her other foot down stepping on it.

Sore…

Definitely sore.

A complete understatement…

But she could walk on it. Sort of…

The magic would take a little more time to settle. She cast a regeneration charm after all. Her leg would need a little longer to heal properly. Besides, she needed what was left of her reserves of mystical energy for more spells. A complete healing spell would have taken a very significant amount of magic.

Now…

Peter was most likely in the air with Toomes. She should check the beach. Make sure it was clear and make a perimeter so that one would get caught in the crash or endanger themselves trying to sneak a peek at the upcoming fight.

She'd have to find a good vantage point to conjure the barrier.

* * *

"Please turn, please turn!" Peter frantically pulled at the wing of the plane as it began its descent. Around his wrist, the black cord bracelet warmed up again.

 _No!_

Nadia was badly hurt. She shouldn't be coming up here.

He continued pulling and looked for the portal that would form. "Nadia! No!" He tried to warn her away, but he heard a grunt and the thump of boots on metal.

The wingtips began to glow and the plane shifted even more. Nadia crouched low and kept her arms spread out to try and control the plane as best she could.

"Peter!" She screamed when his web snapped and he tumbled back, barely grabbing on to the wing to keep himself from falling.

When Nadia looked to the front again, her eyes widened at the site of a tall tower. The plane was going to hit.

She abruptly turned the plane just enough to miss it before the plane hit the ground.

Nadia could hear Peter yelling from his precarious position and again, she leapt towards him.

She grabbed onto the teen in a tight hug just as he lost his grip. A cocoon of magic shielded them from the worst impact as they hit the ground. However, they tumbled apart.

Nadia's vision was somewhat blurry and everything sounded muffled. Her leg was practically screaming in pain from the abuse it received. From her place on the ground, behind a few twisted metal parts, she could just make out Peter and Toomes a distance away.

She tried to pull herself together, but she'd hit her head a little too much tonight and her leg hurt when she moved. She just managed to turn herself on her hands and knees when an explosion forced some clarity to wash over her. It bolstered her to push herself to stand on one leg and lean heavily on a large piece of wreckage.

When her vision cleared some more, Peter was walking out of the flames and dropping Toomes on the sand. The males were both breathing hard.

Nadia managed to trudge closer to them before she collapsed on her knees beside Toomes.

After a few seconds of all of them trying to catch their breaths, Peter spoke up. "Are you… okay?"

She nodded. "Are you?"

"Y-Yeah." The teen swallowed. "I think he burned his arm badly. Are you okay to look at it?"

Toomes eyes widened.

Nadia looked at Peter, then at the man who tried to kill her little brother.

He wasn't evil. He just went about taking care of his family the wrong way.

The magic user sighed and nodded. She only used minor regeneration spells to make sure that the man wouldn't contract an infection that would cause complications later on. She didn't tell Peter, but she did nothing for most of Toomes's pain. The man deserved that, at the very least.

* * *

After securing everything from the plane, Nadia and Peter looked for a more isolated place to tend to their own injuries. She spent the rest of her magic on making sure Peter was alright before he forced her to go to the beach so Happy could take her to get checked out.

So now, she was at the infirmary at the Avengers facility. She had a concussion, a fractured leg, dislocated ankle, and was ordered on bed rest after her treatment.

She was exhausted. Hopefully Happy got a hold of her mother and told Peter she was okay too. Ned still had her phone.

The young woman was just waking up from a nap when she heard a voice. Turning towards it, it took a moment for her to process just who was three feet from her bed.

"-Don't worry, Tony. She's fine. Just a fractured leg, some bruises, and a mild concussion. Nothing life threatening, I promise. I'll update you- Oh! Hello." The woman smiled.

Pepper Potts.

Nadia smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Uh… Hi?" She waved weakly. The young woman had never really thought about it, but damn… Meeting her father's current love interest was awkward. "I… I can rest at home." Nadia sat up quickly, but buckled a bit when the room tilted.

"Careful!" Pepper put a hand on her shoulder and back to help steady the young woman. "An hour isn't enough rest to really recover from a concussion. Stay. Please." Her expression looked genuine. "Don't feel awkward." She said hopefully.

Pepper was a nice lady. Nadia could tell.

"You know then…" The younger woman said softly, looking at her hands folded on her lap. She didn't want to be something that put a wedge between Tony and Pepper.

The older woman sighed. "Yes… I overheard Tony talking to Rhodey one time. I admit, I did feel a bit angry about it at first, even when it was silly to have been. It's not your fault and it happened so long ago, before I even started working for Stark Industries. I made Tony spill all the beans about you being his daughter and not just a pet project he was acting strangely attached to."

"I sort of became part of his pet project before he really put together that I'm his kid." Nadia explained.

"Yes, I know. And you should know that I've been dealing with Tony for years. I've gotten used to him and his shenanigans." Nadia winced slightly. Pepper chuckled to try and lighten the mood. "I do admit it's strange actually meeting the result of one of his shenanigans, but I've seen how he is with you." Pepper smiled. "He's changed a lot over the years. Him finding you, it was good for him. He's changed for the better in a way that I thought I'd never see." She sighed with a gleam in her eyes that Nadia couldn't place.

"Besides, you seem like a very nice girl. I'm glad you're watching over Peter and that he has someone responsible to look up to. Sometimes, I still can't help but wonder what Tony was thinking recruiting a fifteen year old."

"Sometimes I still wonder that too, actually." Nadia muttered.

Pepper laughed. "We'll get along alright, I think."

Nadia smiled a real smile this time, feeling relieved.

* * *

 ** _A/N: The next chapter will be the last one. I'm not really sure if I can classify it as an epilogue or just a final chapter. I was really planning on posting this before Infinity War, but life happened. I haven't seen it yet, so no spoilers please. XD_**

 ** _Anyway, thank you everyone who stuck with this story so far. This will end right at the end of the Homecoming movie. My plan is to post a new story which will be sort of a sequel to this in that it will involve the Capellis and their history again, but this time, focusing on the Infinity war. I'm not sure yet if I'll post this sequel after seeing just part 1, or if I'm only gonna post it after the end of part 2._**

 ** _I'll probably fill the writing silence with accompanying stories or one shots. What do you think?_**


	26. Epilogue

_**A/N: Wow... I can't believe this is the last chapter. Just enjoy, and I'll save my rambling for the AN at the end instead. For all my readers and followers, the final chapter of "Getting to Know Spiderboy"...**_

* * *

 ** _EPILOGUE_**

* * *

"You know… You should move here. We can have a room all set up. Vision will love the company. Both of you can talk magic tricks and stuff." Tony said casually, not looking up from his phone.

Nadia had stayed for a few days, just to make sure she was alright after suffering from her concussion and that her leg was fine. Not that it wouldn't be fine, considering Tony had called in the use of Dr. Cho and the cradle. She was sure the extra treatment wasn't absolutely necessary, but to her surprise, Tony could be a worrier.

She stood next to her bed and slipped on a jacket. The infirmary was a little cool.

"Now that you're cleared, you can have Hill give you some training too. Or you could help her whip the recruits into shape-"

"Tony." Nadia smiled warmly. "I'd love to, but who'll be keeping an eye on Peter?"

"He's a big boy. He can handle himself… mostly. Heck, I just gave him back his suit. Don't turn me down too. You don't actually have to be an Avenger. And…" He held up a white mask similar to hers, grinning proudly.

"Oh." Nadia looked at it. "Tony… You can't bribe me-"

"It's not a bribe. Though I say it would make an excellent one if I were trying to bribe you." He examined it for a moment and brushed it off with a hand before holding it out to her. "I was just thinking that I can't play favorites with my protégés. I made Peter his suit, so this is the least I can give. Take it." The man insisted.

Nadia was hesitant, but she complied. The material was cool. It was shaped just like her old mask, but it had a few silvery lines along the temples. When she turned it over, the inner side had the same silvery lines. These ones spread around the eyes and reached the edges of the mask.

"Well, give it a spin." Tony gestured with his hand. He was eager, but was trying to hide the fact. Poorly, if Nadia were being honest.

A knock sounded on the open door, Happy was standing in the doorway. He looked a bit frazzled. "May Parker is in the lobby with the kid."

Tony's eyes went wide. "She doesn't know you're the Wraith, right?" The answer was obvious, but a part of the man needed to be sure.

Nadia shook her head.

"Stay here." Tony swaggered out with Happy in tow, down the hall toward what Nadia could now make out as the loud, almost shrill voice of May.

Despite Tony's command, she moved out of the room after a minute. She walked quietly with her slight limp, getting used to her patched up leg, and slowly crept towards the balcony overlooking the lobby.

May, looking like she was in full mother hen mode, was standing right in front of Tony. Peter stood behind May looking panicked and regretful. Happy stood a few feet behind Tony, a blank expression on his face, off to the side. He was far enough away not to look threatening, but near enough to take action if he had to.

"Peter's just a kid! He shouldn't be doing all this hero-" May flailed, "-stuff!"

"I'm mentoring him." Tony tried to placate. "He's learning to be better, fight smarter and safer-"

"He shouldn't be fighting _at all_!" May actually stepped up to Tony and prodded him hard in the chest. "You say your _mentoring him_ , but I know. I know how _busy_ you are, how you're almost everywhere around the country. Around the world even! But not _here_. _Not really_." Her eyes burned, and the billionaire could not come up with a retort.

Nadia sighed. May had a point. She wouldn't be assured by Tony. The woman even admitted numerous times before that she didn't even like him. Nadia didn't want to leave Tony alone with this. The genius could handle himself for sure, but his snarky way of dealing with things wouldn't help his standing with May.

Nadia made the decision to step up.

"I'm here." She walked down the stairs with her back straight, but her shoulders relaxed. Eyes immediately fell on her. "I told you I'd watch over Peter, right?"

"Nadia?" May looked a bit confused. "What are you doing here?"

Said young woman smiled, trying to assure her. "Hi, May. Hey, Peter." Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she faced the teen's distraught aunt. "May, I'm the Wraith." Nadia said simply, like she was talking about the weather.

May stared for several seconds, then her face turned angry again. She glanced at the genius in front of her accusingly. "If you're pulling her into this, I _swear_ -"

To prove herself, Nadia did a spell-switch and with a wave of magic, she was in her blue and grey robes.

May gaped...

"He didn't. He isn't. I started partnering with Peter on my own." Nadia said firmly. Tony subtly glanced at her. Technically, it _was_ the billionaire who approached her, but she was already thinking of it even before then. Tony didn't need to know that. May didn't need to know the technicalities. Besides, Peter didn't know either.

"I know Tony is away a lot, but he does what he can for Peter. He gave him his suit, did you know? So he can fight better, and-"

May wrapped her arms around Nadia and started to sniffle. "You _saved_ Peter. Kept him _safe_! I've seen you on the news and YouTube. You helped him with the robbery, the elevator at DC, the ferry-"

"Tony did most of the heavy lifting at the ferry." Nadia spoke up, seeing Tony's pout.

"But you were there almost all the time... and even when you weren't being a hero, you still watched over Peter." May put her hands on the younger woman's shoulders. Looking her in the eye. "Thank you for taking care of him."

"Maybe there are times he needs help, but he can take care of himself _plenty_." Nadia shrugged. "He's saved me too. He's good at what he does. Just needs a little polishing." She teased Peter, giving him a smile.

May looked to Nadia, then turned to Peter. Her eyes flicking between the two for a few moments.

The teen's expression was pleading. "I can do this May. Uncle Ben always said, with great power comes great responsibility. Please May. I can't sit around being normal when I'm not. I can't not help when I have these powers." Peter looked down at his hands, then looked again to his aunt.

May choked. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Peter..." She turned around at took a few steps to the glass wall that overlooked the front lawn of the facility. She put her hand over her mouth and stayed silent, contemplative.

A few moments passed...

A minute...

Two...

Nadia elbowed Tony when he fidgeted and looked like he was going to say something when May spoke up.

"I think this isn't what Ben meant when he said it." She let out an exasperated laugh. The woman sighed deeply and her shoulders drooped. "Even if I told you to stop, I know you wouldn't. I don't like it, but it's part of who you are now." The woman turned and looked at the teen. She took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing.

"I love you, Peter. You're the only family I have left. Family means honesty. So... No more secrets." The last statement, she aimed at all three heroes.

Peter's breath hitched. Was May saying what he thought she was saying?

The older woman turned back to Nadia. "You'll protect him and watch his back, alright?"

"Always, May." Nadia nodded and crossed her fingers over her heart.

Then May turned on Tony and moved forward. She poked him hard in the chest again. "And _you_." She almost growled. "I get updates this time, and you're not going to pull Peter into any big missions-"

"But May-" The teen started.

"No. She has a point kid." Peter and Nadia gaped at the billionaire. He didn't mind them. "Plus, the kid said he's gonna stay close to the ground this time. Training then, here, every weekend he has free. So he'll keep getting better."

May stared hard at Tony. After a few tense seconds, she spoke, "His grades stay up. The _moment_ they even look like they're going to drop, no more super hero-ing."

Tony raised a hand. "I'll make sure he does his homework. Scout's honor."

Peter followed suit. "I promise I'll still have time to study."

"You better." May's reply was for both males. "And _you're_ still grounded for three weeks, Peter. For keeping everything a secret and for making me worry so much. No patrols. Nadia can handle the night watch while you're recuperating."

Peter looked like he was going to argue, but stopped himself. His shoulders drooped. "Okay." He answered somewhat dejectedly. His body was alright already. It had been for days. His healing factor helped him recover quickly and Nadia had healed him too. Peter knew his aunt just needed the time to really let the thought of him being Spiderman sink in before she let him swing into danger again.

He tried to think of the bright side. At least May was still letting him _be_ Spiderman. Having his only family now supporting him (sort of) was, he had to admit, _incredible_. Plus, it took a weight off his shoulders not hiding his secret from his aunt.

"Alright... we better get going. It's a school night, and I'm not letting you miss class now just because I said I'll let you still be a superhero."

"Okay." Peter replied obediently. May nodded, satisfied for now.

"Are you coming back with us, sweetie? Or are you staying?" She asked Nadia. Obviously she was still sore at Tony. May was trying to ignore him a bit.

The young woman nodded. "Five minutes. I just need to wrap a few things up."

Tony pouted again. Nadia saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Alright, we'll wait for you out front." May nodded before eyeing Tony again.

"Peter will be here on Saturday, but I expect him back on Sunday morning." When Tony nodded, May promptly turned around and began walking away.

Peter hesitated following and looked at Tony. "I'm sorry Mr. Stark."

Tony shrugged and let out a breath. "This was gonna happen sooner or later, kid. Your aunt's more observant than any of us give her credit for. I'll be seeing you Saturday. Don't be late. Hill will roast you alive if you are."

"Okay..." the teen hesitated again, "Thank you." He turned and jogged after May.

Soon it was just Tony and Nadia.

"You handled this really well, Tony." Nadia smiled at her father. The man smirked in response.

"What did you expect? I always handle things well." Tony huffed, waving a hand flippantly.

Nadia scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"I guess I'll be seeing you on Saturday. I'm going to be training here too, right?" She asked, tilting her head, smiling a bit.

Tony looked at Nadia. There was a beat of silence, "Of course you are! I did say you are my protege too. If Peter's training, you don't get to slack off. I told you, I'm not playing favorites."

Nadia chuckled. "Of course." She switched back into her civilian clothes, but kept the porcelain mask in her hand. She examined it again. Her gaze turned from it, to the billionaire. "Thank you for this, Tony. I'll give you my notes on it when I get back-"

"Ah-ah." The man wiggled a finger. "Put it on first. I want to be the first to see it, not some bystander with a shaky hand and a phone."

Nadia huffed and complied, the mask fitting perfectly over her face. She blinked, expecting to see a U.I. flicker to life around her field of vision.

However, there were only fading blue grid lines at the edges that pulsed every few seconds.

 **::Well it's about fucking time!::** A voice rang in her ear.

Nadia jumped a little. When she processed just whose voice was in her ear, she huffed a laugh. " _Seriously_ , Tony?" She didn't know if she wanted to be amused or irritated.

The man cackled. "Well, Sabrina. You dress like a space wizard. Everyone thinks so."

 **::Uh-huh. Look at this shit.::** The AI commented.

Windows suddenly popped up, showing some articles and videos commenting that her robes were similar to Rey's from Star Wars.

"This is more like Samuel Jackson than Mace Windu." Nadia commented.

 **::So? You got a problem with that?:** : The AI responded.

Nadia massaged her temples, lips still quirked up. "I think you just get a kick from this guy sounding like some alternate version of Nick Fury." She directed her statement at Tony this time.

"Fury? You know what, I didn't even notice." Tony said innocently.

"He's a little spunky for an AI to have in combat or recon, isn't he?" Nadia raised an eyebrow, though Tony couldn't see it, he heard it in the tone of her voice.

"You're the calm one. He'll balance you out." The genius reasoned.

 **::Damn straight!::** the AI agreed.

"Well, I'm not naming him Nick _Fury_ if that's what you're thinking." Nadia told Tony, laughing. It would be a bit weird. Heck, the choice of her AI's voice was already weird. Samuel Jackson did play Nick Fury after all, so the archives said... But it wasn't like Tony knew that.

"I'll just call him Jackson or Jacks. Is that fine?" She aimed her last question at the voice that came from her mask.

 **::Sure. Either is fine with me, little lady.::** The AI responded somewhat flippantly.

"Okay... is that what you're calling me?"

 **::Well, shit... yeah. I ain't some regular AI that'll call you Sir or Miss like some fucking butler.::**

"Alright then, Jacks it is." Nadia nodded, before taking off the mask. "You know, Captain America would probably have an aneurysm hearing an AI talk like that."

Tony winced subtly but a chuckle forced its way through his lips. Nadia realized the slip and tried to brush over it. "Thank you again, Tony. I'll tell you how he does on patrol. I have one month of night watch, after all."

"Buuuuut?..." Tony asked, rolling his hand and waiting for something.

"Jacks is a nice surprise, Tony. The mask itself is beautiful too. But I can't really give you more feedback on unless I get to test Jackson out in the field." Nadia shrugged. Her father looked happy, but slightly disappointed.

The young woman smiled softly and stepped forward.

Tony was still trying to look somewhat indifferent. He stiffened when he felt arms wrap around him.

"It's _awesome_ , Tony. And I'm sure that it'll only get more awesome when I find out more of the features. Thank you." Nadia gave him a squeeze.

The man was still not used to this kind of displays of affection. Though he did relax a bit, the young woman was not surprised when he only patted her back and didn't return the hug.

She stepped back. "I better get going. May might get paranoid and try to bite your head off again if I take too long."

"Okay, Sabs. You play safe out there. Make sure the kid sticks to his probation." Tony nodded.

"I will." Nadia waved over her shoulder as she walked, throwing one last smile at Tony. Just as she turned back around, she swore she caught a hint of a smile on Tony's face.

* * *

After one more lecture from May, Peter retreated to his room. When his door clicked shut, sparks formed a ring on one wall.

Nadia's smiling face peeked through. "You coming up?"

Peter grinned and followed Nadia through. They stood at the roof of the apartment, both sitting down near the ledge.

Nadia sighed and leant her head against a wall, tired from the trip.

"So how goes it, Peter?"

"Fine... more than fine actually. Better than I hoped. I thought May would try to keep me from being Spiderman at all." The teen looked at her then. "Thank you by the way. For talking to May. I don't think she would have been so lenient if you didn't back Mr. Stark up."

Nadia smiled. "Don't mention it, Spiderboy. I felt kinda sorry for Tony, actually. May can be one heck of a spitfire when she wants to be."

"Yeah. Definitely." Peter laughed.

There was a few moment's pause before Nadia spoke again.

"So... how's Liz?"

Peter cringed. "She's moving to Oregon. It's sad... I wish the bird man wasn't her dad."

Nadia sighed. "It's not your fault Peter. Toomes made his decision."

The teen flopped back down on his back, not caring that he got grit on his shirt.

"Still... I took away Mr. Toomes from his family. Liz has a dad who's in jail because of me." He stared up at the sky guiltily.

"Peter..." of course he would feel this way. He was a kid. Even when he tried not to be. "Toomes was an adult who knew what the consequences of his actions were going to be if he got caught. What he was doing was hurting a lot of people." She laid down beside him and looked at the inky blackness of the sky.

"As a hero... you'll have to make some tough decisions. Toomes won't be the last. Even when you have the best intentions in mind, even when you want to do the right thing, you can't avoid someone getting hurt, sometimes. It's a cross all heroes have to bear."

Peter rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Then what's the point of it all?"

Nadia was surprised. She didn't know that Peter's hurt and doubt went that deep. "The point is... that we try. We do our best. We pour our blood, sweat, and tears trying to do the right thing. We save more people putting the effort into trying than not doing anything at all." She sighed. "I haven't been in this business long... but it's a painful reality that we just can't save everyone."

Peter looked at Nadia, and she looked back at him. "But we'll try, right? We'll still try?" He said, determined and hopeful.

Nadia imagined the war that was coming. The deaths that would probably come no matter what she her grandmother, or mother did.

The flash of Tony holding a smaller hand in his, the man's eyes beyond haunted, flickered through her mind.

A fire sparked to life in her eyes. Its intensity was unlike Peter ever saw. That fire made him feel nervous and safe at the same time.

"Damn sure, we will." Nadia said, her voice filled with conviction and determination.

The teen nodded, feeling determined too. "Yeah. We will." He agreed.

Nadia put a hand on Peter's arm and squeezed. He would never really know exactly what she meant with those words. At least not for a while.

For now though, she would focus on the present.

On making memories.

Because it wasn't going to be long now...

Either those memories were going to be all she had, or she was going to be one herself.

* * *

 ** _A/N: So that's a wrap! I can't believe that this story is already done. Thanks to everyone who stuck with me and this story til the end. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts and faves. Hopefully, this won't be the last you'll see of the Capellis._**

 ** _I'm not really planning to write an AU continuation of this story, I'll probably wait for Infinity War to finish (both parts) which will be a long time. So I'll probably be writing accompanying stories and continuing "The Second Sun". I'll probably write one shots for certain things if there are enough requests, we'll see._**

 ** _Until the next time~_**


	27. Update

**A/N: "To Infinity" is now up. For all readers interested in the sequel, check it out. Plus, I need your help too.**


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